Opera singer Patricia Burda Janečková has died. The German-born Slovak soprano passed away on Sunday, Oct. 1 following a battle with breast cancer, a statement shared on her Facebook page announced. Janečková was 25.
“The opera and musical singer lost her courageous fight with an aggressive disease. She passed away on October 1, 2023, surrounded by the tender care of her husband, Vlastimil Burda, and her loved ones,” the heartbreaking announcement read. Janečková and Burda married in June. “She left a lasting legacy through her audio and visual recordings, ensuring she will stay with us forever.”
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Born on June 18, 1998, in Münchberg, Germany to Slovak parents, according to Opera Wire, Janečková began singing when she was just 4. She went on to attend the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts following primary school, making her first public performance at the Antonín Dvořák Theatre, where she performed for the first time with the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra.
The rising star went on to win the Talentmania TV show in November 2010, later winning the international singing competition at the Concorso Internazionale di Musica Sacra in Rome in 2014. Janečková was a frequent guest at the Moravian-Silesian National Theatre, the Rudolfinum in Prague, the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Janáček Music Festival. She released he her first album in 2011 and also recorded a Christmas CD alongside Vilem Veverka.
Amid her rising stardom, Janečková shared the tragic news in February 2022 that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time, the singer noted that “this year was supposed to be full of beautiful concerts and theater performances. Everything has changed… Biopsy results showed breast cancer.” Janečková went on to write that while she would need to “leave the stage for a while” to focus on her health, “that doesn’t mean I stop singing! As soon as I have my strength back, I will sing and record for you. Takes more to beat me!”
News of her passing sparked a wave of tributes online, one person writing on X (formerly Twitter), “So young. RIP,” with somebody else adding, “Shocked and sad, so sorry for her family.” Another person wrote, “What a terrible news… my condolences to her family.” Janečková is survived by her husband, actor Vlastimil Burda.
