Richard Tucker, who rose from a poor Brooklyn-born son of Rumanian Jewish immigrants, to become the leading tenor for the Metropolitan Opera for 30 years, died yesterday of a heart attack in Kalamazoc, Mich., where he was to have appeared in a concert. He was 59 years old. Mr, Tucker, who was born Aug. 28, 1915 and named Reuben Ticker, started singing at the age of six and caught the notice of Joshua Samuel Weisser, cantor of the Allen Street Synagogue on the Lower East Side. Mr, Tucker also remained a cantor officiating annually at High Holy Day services and Passover seders.
In 1963, while on a tour of Israel, Mr, Tucker officiated at Shabbat services at Tel Aviv’s Great Synagogue, after which he led hundreds of worshippers in a procession through downtown Tel Aviv, singing hymns, A strong supporter of Israel, he appeared at many rallies for the Jewish State, Mr, Tucker was to have celebrated his 30th anniversary at the Met on Jan. 25. A funeral service will be held tomorrow on the Metropolitan Opera stage.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
