Mezzo-soprano Lenka Šmídová has died at the age of 60.

The news was announced by the spokesman for the Prague National Theater, where Šmídová was a leading artist.

The mezzo studied and graduated from the Prague Conservatoire with Helena Tattermuschová and later at the Prague Academy of Music with René Tuček.

She became a soloist at the Prague National Theater opera company in 1990 and would become a leading figure performing in over 70 productions. Her last performance came on April 17 in Antonín Dvořák’s opera “The Jacobin.”

Outside of Prague, she went on to perform in Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. She went on to sing at the Arena di Verona and Opéra de Monte-Carlo. Her signature roles included Azucena, Santuzza, Carmen, and many Czech roles including the Witch in “Rusalka,” Kate in Dvořák’s “Kate and the Devil,” and many more. Outside of her singing career, she was a well-respected singing teacher.

In honor of the mezzo’s death, the Prague National Theatre flew a huge black flag on Monday, May 30. The mezzo’s family refused to hold an official funeral on the theatre stage as is usual because of her long-time dispute with opera chief Per-Boye Hansen, whom she accused of consistently trying to remove permanent Czech soloists from the theatre.