Russian opera star Dmitri Hvorostovsky died at the age of 55 following a struggle with a long illness. The Russian baritone retired from the opera stage at the end of 2016 due to complications from a brain tumor. He made his final public appearance during his "Dmitri and Friends" concert at Austria's Grafenegg Festival in June. In September, Hvorostovsky was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland of the IV degree, one of the highest non-military honors in Russia, for his great contribution to his country’s art and culture.

Born in 1962 in Krasnoyark, Siberia, Hvorostovsky graduated from the Krasnoyarsk Teacher’s Training School and the Krasnoyarsk Arts Institute and performed as a solo artist at the Krasnoyarsk State Theater of Opera and Ballet. In 1987, he clinched First Prize at the Glinka Singers Competition and in 1988, he went on to win the Grand Prix at the International Singers Competition in Toulouse. In 1989, Hvorostovsky won the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition that brought him world fame. The legendary opera star performed on many prestigious stages throughout the world such as Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, and the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. TASS remembers the life of this outstanding Russian opera baritone.