Stephen Gould, a famed tenor and opera singer, has died at the age of 61, multiple news outlets confirmed.
Associated Press published a report on Thursday, September 21, citing a confirmation from Gould's agent Stephanie Ammann who shared that the singer died on Tuesday, September 19, in Virginia. The initial statement did not disclose the singer's cause of death, though his representative and obituaries soon unveiled more details about his passing.
Stephen Gould's Cause of Death
Gould's agency honored the tenor singer in a statement to People and paid tribute to him following his death.
"It was a great honor and pleasure to work with this outstanding artist and extraordinary personality for more than 20 years and to accompany his international career," his agency said. "We will deeply miss and never forget him. He will always be in our hearts."
Meanwhile, an obituary posted by The Telegraph noted that Stephen Gould's cause of death was bile duct cancer, which affected his supposed schedule earlier this month.
Prior to his demise, the 61-year-old opera singer penned a statement on his website and explained he could not perform because of the dreaded illness. According to Gould, he was diagnosed with bile duct cancer with complications and received the news that there was no cure.
He added that the fatal disease gave him "an outlook of several months to 10 months."
"I did not wish anything to cloud this year's achievements, and I am grateful to Bayreuth for teaching me all that I could have hoped to know about the performance of this great musicians works," he continued.
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Stephen Gould's Legacy
Gould expanded his knowledge of music by studying at the New England Conservatory of Music alongside conductor John Moriarty. He joined the Lyric Opera of Chicago Center for American Artists afterward and scored the role in the famed Broadway run of "The Phantom of the Opera."
Among his other operatic performances included "Fidelio," "Die Liebe der Danae," "Tannhäuser" and "Otello."
He marked his last appearance in the U.K. in 2019 when he and Christine Goerke joined the Marc Albrecht-conducted Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Proms' Wagner Night. Meanwhile, "Tristan and Isolde" became one of his final performances prior to his death.
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