Tenor William “Bill” Lewis has passed away. He was 94.

Lewis was born on Nov. 23, 1931 and educated at the University of Colorado, Texas Christian University, New York University, and the Music Academy of the West. Initially, Lewis sought careers in writing and baseball, later choosing opera.

In 1953, Lewis made his professional opera debut with Fort Worth Opera as Rinuccio in Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi.” In 1955, he won the Metropolitan Opera’s Audition of the Air competition, the predecessor to the company’s National Council Auditions. Three years later, he made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Narraboth in Strauss’ “Salome.” He would go on to perform at the Met  for the next 35 years, ultimately appearing in 234 performances. In addition to his work in the U.S., Lewis was a regular performer of opera and 20th century music in Canada and Europe.

Lewis also taught at many prestigious institutions such as Penn State University, State University of New York at Binghamton, and University of Texas, Austin. He was the director of the Studio Ensemble of the Butler Opera Center, and the President of the William Lewis School of Opera (formerly Franco American Vocal Academy) in Austria and France.

His performances are documented in several recordings and videos. Notably, Lewis is seen performing in the Metropolitan Opera’s 1984 production of Zandonai’s “Francesca da Rimini” alongside Renata Scotto, Plácido Domingo, and Cornell MacNeil. His recordings, both live and in-studio include works by Samuel Barber, Hector Berlioz, Leoš Janáček, Richard Strauss, and Virgil Thomson.

In 2011, Lewis was knighted by the Republic of France as Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Lewis died on Aug. 21, 2026. No cause of death has been released.