South African opera singer, Mimi Coertse has passed away. She was 93-years-old.
The sad news was shared by long-time friend, Lizet Du Plessis.
“It is with great sadness to share with everyone who loved her that Our Mimi passed away peacefully in her sleep last night.
“Our thoughts are with her children, Mia and Werner, and grandchildren, whom she loved so fiercely,” Du Plessis shared in a post on social media.
She said funeral arrangements will be announced later.
Coertse was born in Durban and later matriculated at the Helpmekaar Girls High School in Johannesburg. She started her vocal studies in 1949, and her debut performance was in 1951.
In 1953, Coertse married SA composer Dawid Engela. The couple divorced, and she went on to marry Italian businessman Diego Brighi in 1965. When that marriage ended, Coertse married South African businessman, Werner Ackerman, in 1970 and the marriage lasted until 1994.
She had two children, Werner and Mia.
Throughout her illustrious career, she went on to receive a number of honours and awards including the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, the Title of Kammersängerin, and an Honorary Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Pretoria.
IOL
