Heldentenor Wolfgang Müller-Lorenz passed away on Oct. 25 at the age of 78.

Müller-Lorenz was born Nov. 24, 1946 in Cologne. Initially, he studied mechanical engineering, then singing at the Cologne Academy of Music. He studied acting privately in Munich.

His first public performance was in Dec. 1967 at an Advent concert in St. Mark’s Church in Cologne-Porz, where he debuted as a lyric baritone. In 1972, he made his operatic debut at the Staatstheater Mainz during the 1972-73 season. From here, Müller-Lorenz went on to perform at the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich, Nuremberg Opera House, Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Graz Opera, in Frankfurt am Main, and in Mannheim.

The Wagnerian tenor Hans Hopf recommended that Müller-Lorenz switch to the heldentenor repertoire. After studying with Josef Loibl, he made his heldentenor debut in 1983 as Jim Mahoney in Weill’s “Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.” After switching fachs, he developed a repertoire of over 30 roles in German and Italian. In the 1987 Ring cycle directed by Christian Pöppelreiter, Müller-Lorenz sang all three major tenor roles, Loge, Siegmund, and the two Siegfrieds. He also sang the title roles in Wagner’s “Tannhäuser,” “Lohengrin,” and “Parsifal.” In addition to Wagner, he also sang many popular roles, including Cavaradossi, Radames, Pollione, Calaf, and Otello. Throughout his career, Müller-Lorenz performed worldwide in places like Japan, England, the United States, and France.

Müller-Lorenz took to teaching at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz in the late 1990s. He taught at various masterclasses, gave concerts, and worked as an actor for several years at the “Kleine Komödie.” He retired in 2007, but continued to make guest appearances in operas and operaettas. The newspaper, “Kurier,” described him in his obituary as “The Voice of Graz.”

Müller-Lorenz was married and had one son. A funeral service was held in Graz in November.