NEW YORK - Robert Merrill, the Metropolitan Opera star who was known as much for singing the national anthem at Yankee Stadium as he was for roles such as Figaro in "The Barber of Seville," was remembered Tuesday for his velvety baritone and devotion to baseball.
Merrill died Saturday at his home in suburban New Rochelle while watching the World Series, family friend Barry Tucker said Tuesday.
"Unfortunately, it wasn't the Yankees. He was very disappointed (at the team's playoff loss). At that time he was rooting hard," said Tucker, whose father, tenor Richard Tucker, frequently performed with Merrill.
Beverly Sills, the Met's chairwoman, recalled the rich quality of Merrill's voice.
"It was one of the most gorgeous voices I ever heard: dark velvet. It cast a hush over the audience, the sheer beauty of it," said Sills, who called Merrill an "old friend" she met at the age of 10.
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