Jerry Hadley, tenor

I'm in shock. I've just learned that tenor Jerry Hadley has just passed away at the age of 55. Even more shocking was the fact that his death was brought on by severe brain damage after an apparent suicide attempt. Gee.

Such a pity. I really enjoyed his performance as Gaylord Ravenal in the studio recording of Jerome Kern's Show Boat and in the title role in Leonard Bernstein's Candide. In fact, I've always kept his "Oh, Happy We" duet with June Anderson and his rendition of Kern's "I Have the Room Above Her", a favorite of mine, on my playlist. The mere mention of his name for some reason also prompts me to hear him singing in my head the opening lines of "Where's the Mate for Me?" one of the songs on Show Boat:

Who cares if my boat goes upstream,
or if the gale bids me blow with the river's flow.
I drift along with my fancies.
Sometimes I thank my lucky stars my heart is free;
And other times I wonder where's the mate for me.

With an expressive voice like his, I thought he'd be leading a successful career at the opera for a long time. I certainly didn't expect him to die like this and so early.

Anyway, after surfing the web a bit for more news about Jerry Hadley's unexpected passing, I came across a link to the blog of a music director of a radio station where reader's have posted their reflections on the death of this opera star. Mr. Hadley was also the subject of a special feature at Performance Today on Public Radio.