Johan Botha as Tannhäuser.

Johan Botha was one of the great tenors of the early 21st Century. He died September 8 in Vienna at the age of 51. The cause has not been made official, but it is known that Mr. Botha was treated for cancer.

The South African Botha started his career singing roles such as Rodolfo in La Boheme and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly. He soon became a favorite in the dramatic tenor repertoire such as Otello and Calaf. Wagner came calling and Botha’s clear tone found its groove in the German masterpieces.

Wagnerian tenors with beautiful voices are rare. A voice with the required size to match the Wagnerian forces of orchestra and chorus tends to be better suited for peeling paint off of a wall than expressing the lyrical vision of the wizard of Bayreuth.

Botha’s run as Otello at the Metropolitan Opera was transmitted to movie theaters in 2012. Health issues described as allergies at the time plagued the performance. The easy tone of his voice remained inconsistent for the rest of his career.

This is not to say that Botha did not have success in his final years. His performances of Tannhäuser at the Met in 2015 were well received and it appeared that he was back in good form.

His final concert was given on August 13, 2016 in Cape Town to benefit the Cancer Association of South Africa.