Opera singer Cesare Siepi, known for performing role of Don Giovanni, dies at 87

Former Met Opera singer Cesare Siepi dies at 87

ATLANTA — Cesare Siepi, an operatic bass who fled Fascist Italy and later rose to fame both as a staple of the Metropolitan Opera and one of the most celebrated singers to play the title role in “Don Giovanni,” has died at age 87.

Siepi, a native of Milan, Italy, died at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta on Monday after suffering a stroke more than a week earlier, his family said Tuesday.

Siepi’s distinctive bass helped make him a favorite in such roles as Mephistopheles in “Faust” and as the title character in Mozart’s opera “Don Giovanni.” His sword on his hip, Siepi captured audiences as the raping, pillaging scoundrel alongside other operatic legends such as soprano Leontyne Price.

Offstage he was a family oriented man whose favorite role was that of dad, daughter Luisa Siepi said Tuesday.

“Family was extremely important to him — he absolutely adored his wife and us,” she told The Associated Press Tuesday evening. “We were probably the most important thing for him.”

Born in 1923, the young Siepi was part of a madrigal choir, family members said. His love for music landed him at the Milan Conservatory. Among his early roles was that of Sparafucile, a professional assassin, in a production of “Rigoletto” in Schio, Italy, said his son, Marco Siepi.

War, however, forced him to leave Italy.

“He had to leave the country and escape to Switzerland because he was an opponent of the Fascist regime,” Marco Siepi said.

He returned to Italy at the end of World War II and later came to the U.S. when general manager Rudolf Bing tapped him to perform in “Don Carlo.”

Siepi would later go on to make a name for himself as Don Giovanni. His Met career began in 1950 and ran until the early 1970s.

Siepi was also one in an elite group of Met basses and baritones who starred on Broadway, performing in “Bravo Giovanni” and “Carmelina.”

His last public appearance was in 1989, according to his son.

Relatives remembered him Tuesday as “a very gifted artist who made an extraordinary contribution to the opera world,” said daughter Luisa. “I think he gave a lot of joy to people.”