Jussi Björling

Jussi Björling grew up in the Dalarna region of Sweden and was initially coached by his father David, who was an accomplished singer himself. He made his operatic debut at the age of 19 performing 'Manon Lescaut' at the Royal Swedish Opera in 1930. At the age of 26 he made his US debut at Carnegie Hall and later went on to become one of the principal singers at New York's prestigious Metropoloitan Opera.

Björling rose to become one of the leading tenors of the 20th century but his operatic accomplishments masked a lengthy battle with alcoholism which had a detrimental effect on his health and personal life. In 1960 at the peak of his career (the previous year winning a Grammy Award for his album 'Björling in Opera') the artist suffered a heart attack prior to an appearance at Covent Garden. He still went on stage and performed but within six months he had succumbed to heart disease, dying at the age of 49.