Beverly Sills is Reportedly Gravely Ill with Cancer

Beverly Sills, the legendary opera soprano who became one of New York's most prominent arts supporters, is gravely ill with cancer, the Associated Press reports.

According to the article, "The Met would neither confirm nor deny news of her illness, but people close to the situation said Sills was at a Manhattan hospital, with her daughter at her side...In an e-mail this week to members of its board, the Met said Sills was 'gravely ill.' One person said she was suffering from lung cancer. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to announce news of her health."  Sills, who is a nonsmoker, previously underwent successful cancer surgery in 1974.

The vivacious Sills - sometimes known as "Bubbles" from a childhood nickname - was born Belle Miriam Silverman in Brooklyn on May 25th, 1929.  She made her operatic debut in 1947, and rose to stardom with her performance in Die Fledermaus at the New York City Opera in  1955.  Other acclaimed performances throughout her career included roles in Douglas Moore's The Ballad of Baby Joe, Massenet's Manon, Handel's Giulio Cesare, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, and Mozart's The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni.  In the '70s and '80s, she also became a familar face to TV audiences through her appearances on "The Tonight Show" and "The Muppet Show."  She also appeared alongside her friend Carol Burnett.

Sills made her first appearance at the Metropolitan Opera in 1975, although she retired from singing shortly thereafter, in 1980.  In 2002, the Met asked her to sit on its board; she resigned two years ago due to health and family reasons.  After her retirement from singing, she became general director of New York City Opera and then chairwoman of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 1994.  Sills remains the Met's chairwoman emerita.