(Credit: Royal Opera)

On Sept. 8, Queen Elizabeth II died at the age of 96.

Born on April 21, 1926, the Queen took the throne on Feb. 6, 1952 and reigned for 70 years and 214 days. She was the longest serving British monarch and her tenure was the second-longest recorded of any monarch of a sovereign country. At the time of her death, Elizabeth was Queen of 14 other Commonwealth realms in addition to the U.K.

A lover of the arts, the queen attended many operatic performances and was a patron. As a result, left an indelible mark on many operatic companies and artists. Upon hearing the news many companies released statements paying tribute to the Queen.

Alex Beard, CEO of the Royal Opera House said, “We are enormously saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her patronage of the Royal Opera House was a source of great pride to all our artists and staff, and her longstanding support for the arts was deeply appreciated. We send our sincerest condolences to all other members of the Royal Family at this very sad time for the whole country.”

Meanwhile, the English National Opera said, “The ENO is greatly saddened by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Having been in public service for over 70 years, the Queen has been an exemplary global role model throughout her life, one without parallel. The ENO’s home, the London Coliseum, has been lucky enough to host Her Majesty on a number of occasions, and we look back on these memories fondly. At this sad time, we send our condolences to the entire Royal Family and join with everyone who mourns her loss.”

The Scottish Opera released a statement noting, “We at Scottish Opera are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. We send our heartfelt sympathy to the Royal Family. A book of condolence is now at The Theatre Royal, Glasgow for all to contribute to throughout this period of mourning. It is the wish of the Royal Palace that performances continue, so the Scottish Premiere of Massenet’s Thérèse this evening at The Lammermuir Festival will go ahead as planned preceded by a minute’s silence and the National Anthem.”

The Welsh National Opera also joined in paying homage to the Queen stating, “We would like to send our heartfelt condolences following the sad news of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen to, our Patron, His Majesty King Charles III and the Royal Family.”

Many artists also released statements or posted pictures such as Joseph Calleja, Alice Coote, Angela Gheorghiu, Joyce DiDonato, Jamie Barton, Plácido Domingo, Nicky Spence, and Janai Brugger, among others.