James Levine, the grandson of a cantor, and the conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City for more than 40 years, has died at age 77.
Levine, a conductor and pianist, was plagued by bad health for years. He died on March 9 of natural causes, according to his physician, Dr. Len Horovitz.
Levin was at one time a towering giant in the world of opera and American classical music. His career came crashing down in 2018 amidst accusations of sexual impropriety dating back to his time as a guest conductor at the Ravinia Music Festival in Illinois in the 1980s. Rumors about abuse dating back to the 1960s had been around for years.
Levine previously acted as musical director for the Boston Symphony Orchestra (2004 to 2011) and as musical director of the Munich Philharmonic (1999 to 2004).
He made his Met debut in 1971 and went on to be one of the most popular musicians in the company’s storied history. He conducted over 2,500 performances and acted as musical or artistic director from 1976 until 2016 when he was let go due to Parkinson’s disease.
He kept ties with the organization until 2017 when the New York Post and New York Times ran stories detailing misconduct going as far back as the 1960s.
Levine was considered a piano prodigy as a young man but gravitated towards conducting opera.