Wolfgang Schmidt, one of the world's leading heldentenors, has died. The Deutsche Oper am Rhein announced on Wednesday that the singer died after a long illness, according to a spokesperson for the Bayreuth Festival, during the night leading into Wednesday. He would have turned 70 in August.

Tenor Wolfgang Schmidt (1956-2026)

Born in Melsungen, Hesse, in 1956, Schmidt was a member of the ensemble at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein from 1988 to 2021. His career took him to all the world's major opera houses, including La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera in London, as well as the opera houses in Paris, Munich, Tokyo, and San Francisco. He appeared as Siegfried at the Bayreuth Festival 18 times between 1994 and 2004.

The Deutsche Oper am Rhein awarded him the title of Kammersänger (chamber singer) in 1996. In 2023, he was made an honorary member of the house. "We have lost a great artist, a significant ensemble member, and a wonderful colleague whom we will always remember with deep gratitude," said Marwin Wendt, Artistic Director of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. The revivals of the operas "Die Walküre" on February 22 in Duisburg and "Parsifal" on February 28 in Düsseldorf will be dedicated to Schmidt's memory.

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