Legendary bass-baritone José van Dam died on Feb. 17, 2026 at the age of 85.

The news was announced by The Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in a statement that said, “Belgium loses its greatest ambassador of lyric art; the world loses a legend whose genius shaped the operatic history of the 20th and 21st centuries. But above all, the Music Chapel loses a mentor, a father figure and an inexhaustible source of artistic integrity.”

Born Joseph, Baron Van Damme, on August 25, 1940 in Belgium, the bass-baritone studied at the Brussels Royal Conservatory and graduated with diplomas and first prizes in voice and opera performance.

He made his opera debut as Don Basilio in Rossini’s “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège in 1960 and was subsequently engaged by the Paris Opera. He went on to perform at many  of the greatest theaters in the world including the Royal Opera House, the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Wiener Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, and the Salzburg Festival.

He was well-known for his vast repertoire that included the title roles of “Falstaff,” and “Simon Boccanegra,” “Don Giovanni,” “Guglielmo Tell,” “Boris Godunov,” and “Wozzeck.” Other roles included Philipp II in “Don Carlos,” Hans Sachs in “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg,” Amfortas in “Parsifal,” Jochanaan in “Salome,” Mephisto in “Faust,” and “La Damnation de Faust” and Scarpia in “Tosca.” Van Dam also created the title part in the world premiere of Olivier Messiaen’s “Saint François d’Assise“ at Paris Opera and also participated in the world premiere of “Oedipe sur la route” by Pierre Bartholomée.”

The bass-baritone was also renowned for his concert, oratorio and Lieder repertoire and he collaborated with numerous famed conductors such as Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Georg Solti, James Levine, Seiji Ozawa, Lorin Maazel, Colin Davis, Michel Plasson, Charles Dutoit, and Antonio Pappano.

After retiring from the stage Van Dam became a Master in Residence of the singing section at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in his home country in Belgium.

Throughout his career he received numerous awards including the Deutsche Oper Berlin’s Kammersänger in 1974, and German Music Critics’ Prize. He also received the Gold Medal of the Belgian Press in 1976, the Grand Prix de l’Académie française du Disque in 1979, Orphée d’Or de l’Académie Lyrique Française in 1980, the European Critics’ Prize in 1985, and Diapason d’Or and Prix de la Nouvelle Académie du Disque in 1993. In 1998, His Majesty King Albert II of Belgium made Van Dam a baron, recognizing him as one of the finest classical singers.

The bass-baritone left an incredible recording legacy that included “Carmen,” “Louise,” “Die Zauberflöte,” “Don Carlos,” “Faust,” “Les Contes d’Hoffmann,” “Fidelio,” “Wozzeck,” “Le Nozze di Figaro,” “Salome,” “Pelléas et Mélisande,” “Der fliegende Holländer,” among many others.

He was also in the films “Le Maître de musique” directed by Gérard Corbiau, and in Joseph Losey’s “Don Giovanni.”