On Dec. 26, 2025, French baritone Robert Massard died at the age of 100.

Massard was recovering from a severe fall he suffered in October that left him hospitalized.

Born on August 15, 1925 in Pau, France, Massard was a self taught singer who went on to make his debut in 1952 at the Paris Opera as the High Priest in “Samson et Dalila” and followed that with his role debut as Valentin in “Faust.”

That same year he made his debut at the Aix-en-Provence Festival and from there his career expanded to the greatest theaters in the world. Massard made his Teatro alla Scala and Glyndebourne Festival debuts in 1955.

He went on to perform at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Royal Opera House, Edinburgh Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Carnegie Hall, and Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.

Among his most acclaimed roles were Valentin in “Faust,” Escamillo in “Carmen, Chorèbe in “Les Troyens,” Fieramosca in “Benvenuto Cellini,” Golaud in “Pelléas et Mélisande,” Enrico in “Lucia di Lammermoor” the title role of “Rigoletto,” and Germont in “La Traviata.” He also sang contemporary works like “Le Roi David,” “L’école des maris” by Emmanuel Bondeville, and “Médée” by Darius Milhaud.

Massard left many recordings behind including “Carmen” with Maria Callas and Nicolai Gedda, and “Faust” with Joan Sutherland and Franco Corelli. He is also featured in recordings of “Samson et Dalila” with Shirley Verett and Lalo’s “Le Roi D’ys.”