Opera singer and double lung transplant recipient Charity Tillemann-Dick has died at age 35.
Tillemann-Dick performed at the MM&M Awards in 2012. She was an acclaimed opera singer and became an advocate for organ donation after she received two double lung transplants.
She was diagnosed at age 20 with idiopathic pulmonary hypertension, which is abnormally high blood pressure in the blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lungs. She had her first double lung transplant in 2009 and her second in 2012, after her body began to reject the first.
In 2015, she was also diagnosed with skin cancer, for which she underwent chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Tillemann-Dick continued to sing opera and conduct her advocacy work.
She was a spokesperson for the Pulmonary Hypertension Association. Her debut album, American Grace, was released in 2014 and reached No. 1 on the Billboard traditional classical charts.
Her family announced her death on Tillemann-Dick’s Facebook page, writing, “In this moment, the world is dark. But Charity’s rays extend far beyond her tragic finale on this earthly stage. Her light continues to illuminate the hearts of thousands and, in that way, Charity is with us always.”
