Tenor Jerry Hadley Dead at Age 55

[morosco]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:48pm

Tenor Jerry Hadley Dead at Age 55

Jul 18, 1:28 PM (ET)


POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (AP) - Opera singer Jerry Hadley died Wednesday, just over a week after he was severely injured in an apparent suicide attempt, a family spokeswoman said.

The 55-year-old tenor died at 11:20 a.m., two days after doctors at St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie took him off life support, said family friend and spokeswoman Celia Novo.

Hadley shot himself with an air rifle July 10 at his Clinton Corners home near Poughkeepsie, according to state police. State troopers found him unconscious on his bedroom floor.

The American-born Hadley was considered a world-class tenor, singing roles that required an agile, lyric voice. He sang works as varied as composer John Harbison's "The Great Gatsby" and Mozart's "Cosi fan tutte."

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:57pm

Damn I was hoping he'd pull through somehow.
Updated On: 7/18/07 at 02:57 PM

[JRybka]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:58pm

It is a shame seeing as he was incredibly talented.

Makes me think of all the greats who we have lost in the past too soon:

Jerry Hadley
Laurie Beechman
Nancy LaMott
Daniel McDonald
Pattie Darcy Jones

just to name a few

[StageFan2]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 2:59pm

Not unexpected, but still sad and tragic on so many levels. My sympathies to his family, friends and fans. RIP Mr. Hadley. Here's hoping you've finally found the peace for which you were searching. You will be missed.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 3:01pm

ljay, I don't think anyone expected him to "pull through." He was brain dead and only being kept alive to match his organs. I trust they found some needy people who will benefit from this tragedy.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 3:02pm

We are all brokenhearted.

[AC126748]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 3:02pm

So incredibly sad. RIP. The world of opera is really suffering this month.

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 3:03pm

I was thinking a miracle pull through. Silly, I know.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 3:05pm

Dollypop, will you go to the funeral?

[Auggie27]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 3:08pm

Didn't really know him, but I went to college with Hadley. Very gifted, clearly very tortured. Curiously, I was in the midwest visiting family when all of this occurred. I learned from the Peoria Journal Star that Hadley had been a mentor and master class instructor in recent years.

[jv92]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 3:09pm

Expected, but still quite sad. My thoughts are with his family, and our own Dollypop, who I understand was friends with him some years ago.

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 5:15pm

At least he's at peace now. His demons can no longer torture him.

[mallardo]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 5:25pm

This is a guy who had everything - tall, good-looking, a beautiful Italianate tenor voice and, for an opera singer, real acting ability. Hard to imagine how it all went wrong for him.

[RockabyeHamlet]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 5:38pm

This breaks my heart. Rest in Peace Jerry, you will be missed so much.

[Queen of the Night]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 10:55pm

Another of my favorite opera singers gone in the middle of life, like Tatiana Troyanos and Lucia Popp. I liked Hadley in the Mozart roles best--he was a lovely Tamino in "Magic Flute" (my favorite opera) and sweet Don Ottavio in "Don Giovanni". He had such a bright, sweet charming voice. He did crossover stuff very well too--Candide and that operatically cast recording of "Kismet". Hard to believe we will never hear him sing again...ah, well, Jerry, be at peace and sing with the angels and tell Beverly Sills I said hello.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 11:07pm

Yes, I'll be attending whatever memorial service is held for Jerry. None of us have heard anything about such a service, but I can only guess that NYC Opera will do something.

The truly sad thing about this is that Jerry seemed to have died very much alone. He had two sons (one in college) and a brother. There's no mention of them in the releases and it appears that the doctors at St. Francis were the ones who made the decision to take him off life support. Usually a family member has to sign the documents to do that.

[mominator]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 11:22pm

Such sad news. I hope he finds peace.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 11:22pm

Dollypop, you're misreporting again.

The doctors couldn't remove him from the life support without the instructions of his two sons, who are mentioned in every single legitimate news report as the survivors.
Google News Results: Jerry Hadley

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 11:29pm

The AP article from Monday said "family friend and spokeswoman Celia Novo said he was taken off the systems Monday. 'The hospital is just making him comfortable at this point, so his passing could be at any time,' Novo said."

Do you know Celia Novo, DP?

Noted Tenor Taken Off Life Support

Updated On: 7/18/07 at 11:29 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 11:37pm

I have no idea who Cecelia Novo is. Perhaps she was the lady Jerry was living with at the time of the incident. News reports haven't been clear and the friends of Jerry that I've been in touch with don't know who she is, either.

[cooperross]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 11:42pm

"The doctors couldn't remove him from the life support without the instructions of his two sons..."

Not true. He may have had an advanced medical directive stating he was not to be kept alive on life support. In that case the doctors would have only kept him on life support until such time that his organs had been harvested for donation, then disconnected him from the machines.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 7/18/07 at 11:46pm

I know that Jerry had very strong feelings about organ donation.

This very well may have been the situation.

[onceadancer2]

Posted: 7/19/07 at 11:59am

Such a sad way to end one's life. I wonder if he sought help before this tragic incident.

Rest in peace.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 7/19/07 at 12:17pm

Boy, that was hard.
Narvo