Shirley Verrett obituary

US opera singer who overcame racial prejudice to become a celebrated performerThe African American opera singer Shirley Verrett, who has died from heart failure aged 79, overcame both religious opposition and racial discrimination to become one of the most glamorous and admired performers of her generation. Her parents, devout Seventh-day Adventists, disapproved of her aspirations to a stage career, just as audiences and managements in the deep south were to refuse her platforms in the 1950s and...

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