• The Grammy award-winning opera legend Jessye Norman died in a New York hospital due to septic shock and multi-organ failure.
• Jessye had global fame and was 74 at the time of her untimely death.
• Her death was a result of complications following her spinal cord injury which she got in 2015.

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Jessye Norman and her tragic death

It is sad indeed that the superstar singer Jessye Norman is no more. AFP obtained a statement from a spokeswoman of the star which said that Jessye died in a New York hospital. The cause of her death is septic shock and multi-organ failure.

She developed this complication following her spinal cord injury which she sustained in 2015. She was surrounded by her loved ones at the time of her death. Jessye was 74 when she died.

Her family said:

“We are so proud of Jessye’s musical achievements and the inspiration that she provided to audiences around the world that will continue to be a source of joy,”

Jessye Norman and her career

The singer Jessye Norman was one of the most revered opera singers of this era. She had international fame and was the American soprano who showcased her melodious and majestic voice at opera houses around the world. She had worked with several orchestra groups and was popular with the masses.

Jessye started her career in 1969 at the Berlin Opera. In the 1970s, she toured Europe and performed at many operas there including in Italy. Later, she shifted to London and spent many years here singing solo and doing recitals.

She was a black woman in the white-dominated world of classical music. But she had a soaring voice and an effervescent personality. These two made her a darling of the people.

She had performed at the opening ceremonies of the Bicentennial of the French Revolution in Paris in 1989 and at the Atlanta Summer Olympics in 1996.

Jessye won the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor in 1997. She was the youngest woman to have earned this award at 57. President Barack Obama presented to her the National Medal of Arts. She was also honored as the Commander in France’s Order of Arts and Letters and had an orchid named after her there.

Jessye Norman and her life before fame

Jessye was born on 15 September 1945 in Augusta in Georgia. Her family had many amateur artists and Jessye was one of the five children of her parents.

Norman started singing gospel at the tender age of 4. She had a keen interest in music from her young days. She used to listen to radio broadcasts of performances that took place at the Metropolitan Opera.

As she grew and gained fame, Jessye too sang at the same Opera later on. In 2014, Jessye told NPR:

“I don’t remember a moment in my life when I wasn’t trying to sing,”

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Such was her love for music. Firstly, she studied music at the historically black college Howard University located in Washington. Later, she studied further at the Peabody Conservatory and the University of Michigan.

Source: BBC, News 18