Maria Ewing Dead at 71: Peter Hall’s Opera Singer Wife Cause of Death Explored

Soprano and mezzo-soprano wife of director Peter Hall, Maria Ewing, passed away at age 71.

According to Ewing's spokeswoman, Bryna Rifkin, she died Sunday, January 9, at her home in Detroit, Michigan. ABC News revealed a statement from her family, which read, "She was an extraordinarily gifted artist who by the sheer force of her talent and will catapulted herself to the most rarefied heights of the international opera world."

Ewing was born in Detroit to a Dutch mother and an African American father, making her the youngest of four daughters, as per said source.

Ewing's Music Career

Ewing made her step to the Metropolitan Opera, debuting in 1976 with Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro)." For the following year, she starred in the John Dexter production of Poulenc's "Dialogues des Carmélites" as Blanche de la Force.

She sang 96 Met performances throughout her career and concluded with Berg's "Wozzeck" in 1997, portraying Marie.

By 1978, the opera star met director Peter Hall, a founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company and director of Britain's National Theater. Their first encounter was when they worked together for Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte" at Britain's Glyndebourne Festival, which was directed by Hall and led by conductor Bernard Haitink. Ewing married Hall four years later in 1982.

Her husband directed her at the Met four years later, where she sang the title role in a new staging of Bizert's "Carmen." Ewing also earned more credits in significant operas, including "Salome," "Così fan Tutte," "L'Incoronazione di Poppea," and "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk."

According to Operawire, Ewing's flourishing career in the music industry included concert works by Ravel, Berlioz, Debussy, and numerous American composers.

In 1982, Ewing had a daughter with Peter Hall named Rebecca, who also made a name for herself as an actress and director in the entertainment industry. Their now 39-year-old daughter directed the recent film "Passing," which revolved around their family history.

Eight years after giving birth to their child, the couple decided to split ways and divorced in 1990. By 2017, Peter Hall died at the age of 87 due to pneumonia, as per New York Times.

As of writing, no reports have been disclosed what became the cause of the soprano singer's death.

May her soul rest in peace.