Charles Burles has died at the age of 85.

Born on June 21, 1936 in Marseille, France, Burles went on to study voice with Léon Cazauran.

In 1958, he made his stage debut in Toulon and went on to appear at the Opéra de Marseille, as Almaviva in “Il barbiere di Siviglia.”

In the following years, he would sing exclusively in Marseille with a few guest appearances in Lyon, Turin, and Venice. In 1970, he made his Opéra-Comique debut and in 1971 he went to the Paris Opéra. He sang Bel Canto roles as well as French operas and several Jacques Offenbach operettas.

Known for his French repertoire, he also performed in Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, and Israel.

Burles left a number of recordings behind on EMI France including many with Mady Mesplé. Among the recordings were “Lakmé,” “L’amant jaloux,” “La fille de Madame Angot,” “La belle Hélène,” and “Orphée aux enfers.”