Sudden death of a Grammy-winning US tenor, 73

The conductor James Conlon has reported the death of his lifelong friend John Aler, a tenor who sang major roles in Vienna, Munich, Salzburg and other European venues.

He was a four-time Grammy winner who never got booked at the Met.

UPDATE: A friend of John Aler’s assures us that he was once offered a role by the Met but he turned it down, saying the size of the house was ill-suited to his voice. He preferred smaller, European houses,

In the middle of the night in Torino Italy I have learned of the passing of my colleague and friend, @John Aler. Just last week we discussed how to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of our first collaboration and friendship.

— James Conlon (@JamesJConlon) December 11, 2022