Grammy-Nominated Singer Dead After Being Stabbed in His Home: RIP to Jubilant Sykes

Iconic opera singer Jubilant Sykes has died. He was 71.

According to a press release from the Santa Monica Police Department, officers responded to a call on December 8 regarding an assault in progress at the home of the singer.

“Inside the residence, officers located an adult male, 71-year-old Jubilant Sykes, with critical injuries consistent with a stabbing,” the statement said. “Santa Monica Fire Department personnel responded and pronounced the individual deceased at the scene.”

The police arrested his son, 31-year-old Micah Sykes, for the stabbing and he was “taken into custody without incident.” He was booked for homicide, and is currently being held without bail in a Southern California jail. “The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration,” the statement continued.

Sykes was one of the world’s best-known baritone opera singers, performing at venues like the Barbican Center in London, the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, and Carnegie Hall.

For his recording of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, he was nominated for Best Classical Album at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

During his career, he collaborated with major musical and film talents, like Josh Groban, Julie Andrews, Carlos Santana, Brian Wilson, Terence Blanchard, John Beasley, Patrice Rushen, and many more.

He also took a leap into acting on-screen later in life, too, with an appearance in the 2014 historical drama Freedom starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and a role in the 2023 thriller The Descent.