Mimi Coertse

South African opera singer Mimi Coertse died on Monday night at the age of 93.

“It is with great sadness that we inform all who loved her that our Mimi passed away peacefully in her sleep last night,” her friend and caretaker, Lizet Du Plessis, wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

“Our thoughts are with her children, Mia and Werner and grandchildren, whom she loved so dearly,” Du Plessis wrote.

According to reports, Coertse died at her home in Pretoria.

Born in Durban, she received international recognition for her opera work as a soprano. She played an important role in popularising Afrikaans art song and folksong in the rest of the world.

She made her debut on 11 December 1951 at the Johannesburg City Hall in George Frideric Handel’s Messiah. After moving to London in 1953, she performed in opera houses across Europe.

Her debut at the Vienna State Opera in 1956 led to her permanent appointment at the opera house.

In 1966, she received the honorary title of Kammersängerin of Austria, which is given to distinguished singers of opera and classical music.

Coertse returned to South Africa in 1973, but visited Austria as a guest on several occasions.

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