Beverly Sills, now singing for God

The great legend and Opera singer extraordinaire, has passed on to her most important singing engagement, this time for God. Beverly Sills was grand, classy, yet a down to earth woman, that will be missed, especially by the children she helped come to love music and her.

I had the good fortune to meet Beverly at a benefit dinner for the Hugh O’Brian Foundation, in Los Angeles, about 20 years ago and sat next to her during the dinner. I asked her how she got started in music. She told me that her mother took her to radio stations and begged for the owners to give her daughter a chance to sing. After pestering them over many weeks and months, one finally gave her a chance when she was about 5 or 6 years old. When a surprised owner was brought to tears hearing her voice and radio listeners couldn't believe what a truly gifted voice she had and called the station giving much praise, that was the beginning of her music career. I think that is why she gave back so much to children, as her Mom did to her. The world will be a little bit more empty without her.