Death of the diva(s)

This year has been marked by the passing of quite a few very famous opera singers including Canadian Maureen Forrester, Italian Bass-baritone Cesare Siepi (one of my favorites), English tenor Philip Langridge and most recently, the Australian, Dame Joan Sutherland and American Shirley Verrett.
These singers were all household names internationally and set the standard for excellent operatic singing during the 20th century (with many others).
Here are just two samples of their work:

Note the ease with which each of these singers sings...truly beautiful singing (bel canto).

For more about Shirley Verrett check out the NY Times article on her :
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/06/arts/music/06verrett.html