Dear Maestro Bonynge,
I send to you and your family my deepest sympathy at what must be such a difficult time. I was so deeply saddened to hear of Dame Joan's passing it is difficult to describe. Although I am too young to have heard you both perform live, I treasure many of the wonderful recordings which have been made, and hardly a day goes by when they don't bring a smile to my face and make me tingle.

She has left such an unique and immovable stamp on the world of music and she will never be forgotten. THAT incredible and insurmountable voice, along with her warm, engaging and down to earth personality endeared her to so many the world over. The grace, modesty and generosity with which you have both conducted your lives in music are truly to be held up as an example to and followed by all musicians of today and the future.

The time and support you have given to young singers is both admirable and truly inspirational also. Dame Joan's technique and repertoire have inspired a deepening of my own musical journey, and her passion and dedication for her art have prompted me to research bel canto in particular and learn more about the essence of the operatic art form, which she so truly embodied in all its glorious fullness.

Thank you both so much for the inspiration you have given me, I will always be grateful. I am sure Dame Joan is now singing in Heaven with the angels. Rest in Peace La Stupenda.
- Elizabeth R /Melbourne, Victoria (AUSTRALIA)
Undergraduate university student, church chorister, aspiring future opera singer. Music lover who absolutely adores the voice of Joan and always will.

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I am still saddened by this great lady's passing and, like many others, treasure her performances and beautiful spirit. I have never known any other artists I treasure as much as herself and Mr. Bonynge's performance in both opera and recital. Not only the amazing voice and musicianship but genuine human beings they were and are. I am priviledged to have heard and known them over the years. Truly one of the greatest artists this world has and will ever know as her voice was one from Heaven and she gave to me and the music world countless blessings. I thank Richard constantly for his expert musicianship and hope even there will be a book. Listening to them is a constant learning experience, to say nothing of the enjoyment and great pleasure. Like many I will never forget the greatest music couple of my time. All my love to the Bonynges and my gratitude always.
- William Slater /Richmond VA (USA)

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Maestro Bonynge & family, I'm very touched by the news of the death of the great Dame Joan Sutherland. I am too young to have heard Dame Joan live, but I'm very happy to be able to listen to the many wonderful recordings of the voice of the century. I'm an opera singer myself and Dame Joan was always an example of true singing and bel canto for the entire world of opera. Kindest regards
- W.Smets /Antwerp (BELGIUM)

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I have just heard that Dame Joan Sutherland has died; I feel very tearful and sad. I do not know what to write here. I just want to say thank you to her for all the beautiful singing and music which has filled my life these past thirty years. I wish to send my sympathy to her family and friends.
- Daniel Drury/Bournemouth, Dorset (ENGLAND)

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Dear Joan, miracle of miracles. You gave me and the countless millions so much. Truly La Stupenda.
- Paul /City of Guildford, Surrey Country (UK)
Lover of music, particularly George Frideric Handel and life long lover of the glorious voice of Dame Joan Sutherland. Nothing more.

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A sad day - the most wonderful singer ever - I'm so glad that I was able to see and hear her at Covent Garden on a number of occasions. I also remember so well the wonderful concert in Newcastle.
- Neil Mitchell / Nottingham, Nottinghamshire (UK)

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It is with great sadness that we reflect upon the death of the great Australian soprano Dame Joan Sutherland, known by her legions of fans as 'La Stupenda', who has died at the age of 83.

The sheer breadth and variety of recordings Joan Sutherland made over more than 30 years recording for DECCA is impressive by any standard. They include 40 recordings of 33 different operas, as well as operatic highlights, anthologies and specially conceived collections of music ranging from baroque rarities to selections from operetta and songs by Noel Coward who was a personal friend.

Joan Sutherland's unique association with DECCA began in 1959 with an LP of opera arias which included two scenes from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. It was in this role that she had rocketed to international stardom overnight, when Franco Zefirelli's Covent Garden production premiered on 17 February 1959. A complete Decca recording was made in 1961 under Sir John Pritchard, and a second recording, conducted by her husband and mentor Richard Bonynge and featuring Luciano Pavarotti was made in 1971. During her career Joan Sutherland sang the role of Lucia 233 times.

Joan Sutherland's connection with Decca was first established in 1958 with Handel's Acis and Galatea which appeared on the company's L'Oiseau-Lyre label, and during the late 1950s and 1960s both she and Richard Bonynge (they married in 1954) were at the forefront of the Handel revival. It was during Venice performances of Handel's Alcina in 1960 that a journalist first dubbed her 'La Stupenda'.

In 1960 Joan Sutherland recorded what can only be described as one of the most famous vocal recitals in the history of the gramophone, "The Art of the Prima Donna." Conceived and devised as a homage to prime donne of a bygone era, the album (released on two LPs) became an instant best-seller, won a Dutch Edison Award in 1961, and has never been out of the catalogue. It was also in 1961 that Joan Sutherland won a Grammy® for the best classical performer of the year.

Decca sends its deepest appreciation and condolences to her husband Richard Bonynge and their son Adam.
- Olga Makrias, Vice President, Publicity
Decca Label Group/Universal Music Classical / New York, NY (USA)

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Dear Joan, you have been my greatest role-model.... your way of singing inspired me to read and learn about bel canto technique, hoping to be as good a singer as you have been...well at least half of what you were.... I will always remember you as the greatest singer/artist you were, are, and shall always be to me...love Maja
- Maja Andrijolic / (CROATIA)
a 20-year old future opera singer

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Some 50 years ago, when I was a teenager, my father introduced me to the sublime sound of Dame Joan's voice, in the album 'The Art of the Prima Donna'(in particular, 'The Soldier tired...'). For me, her singing remains the supreme and definitive sound of the 20th century, and I have shed hot tears at her passing. The world is a poorer place for her loss, and she will be dreadfully missed. I believe that she was both incredibly talented vocally, and a warm, funny and generous human being. We shall not see her like again, and I feel grateful to have experienced the inimitable joy of hearing her sing. With sympathy to Dame Joan's family, and lasting gratitude for her astonishing gift,
- Dr. Brigid Purcell / Norwich, Norfolk (ENGLAND)
I'm a retired teacher and I enjoy singing with a couple of local choirs
and listening to quality recordings of (mostly) classical music.

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Joan was one of the kindest artists that I've had the pleasure to work with over the years. Her voice, of course, was a treasure. She sang almost all of the time, hardly marking at all. When she would have free time, she would sit off to the side and work on her knitting project. This was a truly world class artist and person! Our musical world has lost a giant.
- Ken Cox / Denver, CO (USA)
After singing full time for twenty years, I am now the Director of Opera Theater at the Lamont School of Music, University of Denver.

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God bless you dear Joan...........You were a star in the greatest sense of the word. A true living artist and operatic diva....Rest in peace pretty sparrow, all the world from Zurich to Sydney and New York to Rio and Mexico City to Hong Kong mourns your passing.
- John Ford / Miami, FL (USA)

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Dear Mo. Bonynge (Richard): I can see the two of you so clearly, onstage at the Sydney Opera House at the end of Dame Joan's final performance. Both so vibrant, so humble, so elegant, so accomplished, so adored. And then there was Joan's dress! I will never forget it. Stunning! I remember all through the performance clutching my streamers and daffodils we (every member of the audience) had been equipped with by the SOH staff, ready to throw them onto the stage at the end. I remember the stamping, thunderous, first by the audience, then the other performers gathered onstage around Joan, then the audience again, then the performers. It was intoxicating. Unbelievable. And on and on it went. I remember the balloons, the fireworks, the roar of the crowd, and through all of this I could see the look on Joan's face - awed and intoxicated herself. I remember so well Joan's arm opening to give the cue for you, Richard to come up from the orchestra pit to enter the stage and be with her. This was not just Joan’s night, this was her celebration with you as well. How gracious of her to share the stage with you on this momentous occasion. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house. You were a team and the SOH was packed to the rafters to celebrate this.

I am blessed to live in the next street to where Dame Joan grew up in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. This colonial home is so symbolic as after all, she was just an Aussi girl from one of Sydney’s suburbs when it all began. Each time I go to the flower shop I can see her childhood home. I will remember her each time I pass the house (I went there yesterday and sat on a bench on the opposite side of the road just looking over at the house, feeling so sad at the passing of a great human being). I will remember her not just for the outstanding artiste she was and for her grace and talent, but also because she was so down to earth. I think that’s what everyone loved about her.

I still have my ticket from that final performance. I will treasure it even more.

I can imagine your loss and grief, and the hole this will leave in your lives, and I send my love
- Juju Sundin / Woollahra, Sydney , New South Wales (AUSTRALIA)

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True greatness in our time--integrity and artistry of the highest order. Music making that set the world on its ear. And it will never be the same! Joan's SILENCE is as eloquent as her singing. Unforgettable, and the stuff of dreams AND MEMORY for a life-time. Joan sings in our hearts forever. What a fabulous and bewitching artistry. Deepest sympathy to her husband Richard, son Adam, grandkids and her family on this huge loss for you. She will be missed by ALL of us as well. She achieved the epitome of bel canto and artistic achievement. Dame Joan is Dame Commander of our hearts. There are no words to thank her adequately. Prayers and blessing, and Much Love.
- Michael F. McMahon / Antioch, IL (USA)
Joan /Richard Life-Long Devotee

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Dearest Richard and Adam Bonynge: I am so sorry to hear of the passing of the world- beloved Joan Sutherland. We, here in Dallas, Texas know her great talent. To me she was as beautiful inside and out. I had the pleasure of meeting her when your family lived in a flat at 11 Cornwall Garden in London, S.W.7, the phone number was KNI 9701 and it was the year 1957. My Name Is Ingeborg Moran (Runte those days ). I was a friend of your nanny, Ruth Brendle from Switzerland, she looked after your son Adam. Dame Joan used to come to the door and asked me in to wait until Ruth was ready to go out dancing with me to "The Strand." I do remember her trying to teach Ruth how to cook and also to sew. Dame Joan was such an outgoing and friendly person who made you feel at home. Some days when I fetched Ruth I would hear piano music and rehearsal going on in the background. Little Adam liked Ruth very much, he was around 2 years old when I saw him several times.
- Ingeborg Moran/ Dallas, TX (USA)
I lived in Kensington High Street in 1957 and before that I was a nanny in Woodside Park N 12. I was born in Wuppertal, Germany. I met your nanny Ruth Brendle at a dance at Leister Square in 1957. Hope to hear a reply, I would so love that. Thank you.

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It was with great sadness I learned of Dame Joan Sutherlands passing this morning. It was Dame Joan's voice on a Decca album "The World of Joan Sutherland" that brought me to the world of Opera as a young man. I did not have the chance to attend her farewell tour in Glasgow as I was unemployed and had very little money. I am employed now and living in London and thanks to Dame Joan I am a regular visitor to Covent Garden. I have passed my love of Dame Joan and Opera to my partner and friends. When they hear her voice you can see they are instantly moved. THANK YOU Mrs B. you will live on. LA STUPENDA XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
- Ian Sanderson / London, South East (UK)

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Dear Mr.Bonynge and family: My sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to all of you because of Dame Joan's death. The greatest coloratura soprano and a wonderful woman passed away. I was happy to attend some performances in Utrecht (Netherlands), London and Paris and I will never, never forget her!! LA STUPENDA FOREVER!!! her performances were truly highlights in my life May she rest in peace and may God bless you all. Sincerely
- Nina Hartwigsen / Nieuwegein, Utrecht (The NETHERLANDS)
An avid opera admirer

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I can only say: Thanks Dame Joan!!! And wherever you will be now please don't stop singing. I'll miss you.
- Aldo Battaini / Varese, Lombardia (ITALY)

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Although many exquisite singers thrilled, excited, and sometimes moved me to tears, only Dame Joan Sutherland made the hairs on my neck bristle.  She was far more than a stunning talent - she was, simply, unique. Thank you, Maestro Bonynge, for your inestimable role in helping to mould and shape one of the greatest musical phenomena of all time.  Fortunately, in those many breathtaking recordings, Dame Joan's incomparable voice will always be with us - and the hairs on my neck will continue to bristle.
- Adrian Egan / Toronto, Ontario (CANADA)

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Dear Maestro Bonynge and family: My sincere condolences and deepest
sympathy to all of you. Dame Joan: great lady, great artist! May she rest in peace.
Sincerely.
- Mario Pontiggia/ Las Palmas de gran Canaria, Las Palmas (SPAIN)

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My sincerest and deepest condolences to the family of Dame Joan Sutherland. I always enjoyed the wonderful singing of Miss Sutherland through the Texaco Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts. I also had the pleasure of seeing Miss Sutherland perform one of her great roles at the MET in 1983 as Marie in LA FILLE DU REGIMENT and it was of course a marvelous performance. Opera was never the same once Miss Sutherland left the stage.
- Mike Kouroyen/ Rutland, Vermont (USA)

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What a privilege it was, and one of the best nights of my life, seeing Dame Joan Sutherland at the Sydney Opera house in Lucrezia Borgia, June 1977. It was my 30th birthday present. We were on our way up to live in Papua New Guinea and that wonderful night sustained me for the whole time we lived up there and throughout my life. I loved opera before that night but loved it even more since. Many years later I eventually did a tour of the Sydney Opera House and I went and sat in the exact seat I had that night. The tour guide was touched, I think, that I could remember so clearly exactly where I had sat as this was 30 years later. Thank you so much.
- Daphne Wardle / Auckland (NEW ZEALAND)

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Who but a truly great lady would write to a young humble fan "I am a little stupid and incoherent after a performance but I did enjoy seeing you."  I have worshipped her for a lifetime and painted to her voice (watercolours). Thank goodness I have all her recordings. The world has lost an angel. I send my heartfelt condolences to all her family.
- Susan Richardson / Wilmslow, Cheshire(UK)
a professional artist and opera lover

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Dame Joan Sutherland was one of the "Giants" of the opera world. She was also a down to earth, simple, wonderful woman who supported me greatly throughout my career. The first time I met her was in Montreux when I sang GIULIO CESARE in concert. She made a special effort to come backstage after the concert to talk with me. She was gracious, complimentary and genuinely interested in what a young, unknown mezzo had to say. I was humbled, honored and delighted by her presence and her encouraging words. I will never ever forget her, the extraordinary talent she had, or her generosity to me.
- Jennifer Larmore / Paris(FRANCE)
mezzo-soprano, http://www.jenniferlarmoremezzo.com

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You've elated our lives. We will never, never forget you. - Hugo Machado / Braga, Braga (PORTUGAL)

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Dame Joan, Você enche de alegria todos os meus dias - JAMAIS TE ESQUECEREI - Fique em paz ao lado de Deus. Te amo.
- Alfred Martin Jardine/ Brasilia, DF (BRASIL)

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Non ho parole, cara JOAN, per esprimere i sentimenti di ringraziamento per tutto quello che hai portato nella mia vita. Dal Concerto di Asolo 1979, alla Lucrezia Borgia di Roma, Lucia di Lammermoor con Bergonzi nel 1985 a Londra (dove ti abbiamo rubato il "gioiello" che avevi sulla sciarpa, e ancora Concerti a Venezia, Genova, Traviata sempre a Genova...
- Gianfranco / Bergamo, Bergamo (ITALY)

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Gent.le Maestro Richard Boninge Adam Helen e Figli ci uniamo profondamente nell'esprimervi le Condoglianze per il grande viaggio nel firmamento celestiale universale della nostra mega "La Stupenda" Iperohy Joan Sutherland.... Siamo felici che la mega Dame Joan Sutherland ha dato tanta felicita' gioia armonia musicale talento umanistico universale esprimendo la quint'essenza dei valori Australiani Universali come nel commiato ha espresso la Premier dell'Australia Gent.le Sig.ra Julia Gillard affine nella grazia ed intelligenza. Gent.le Daskalo's Richard Bonynge Adam Helen e Figli dalla Grecia Atene si e' accesa nell'Uranio-Cielo una Asteria-Stella nella luce amore e bellezza etika di nome Joan Sutherland Luce e Amore
- Samantha Khayat and Sotiris Babaloukas / Athens, Attiki (GREECE)

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Joan Sutherland was a dear friend of my family and specifically my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Buddy and Geraldine Kaufman of South Orange, New Jersey in the 60's, 70's and 80s. They met her in Europe in 1960. Through the years she stayed at our house in New Jersey when she had an engagement in New York and once in Newark at the old Mosque Theater in 1966. At that time my parents gave her a house party where she was nice enough to converse with my parents' friends and relatives. I have vivid memories of hearing her sing in the bathtub when she stayed with us in South Orange. Joan and Ricky had a special connection to my parents. They had such a good time playing cards and laughing all the time they stayed with us. Richard Bonynge's friend Chester always came along. He was a guy with a great personality. In the mid 80s my parents fell on hard financial times. Fortunately, I had the wherewithal to send them to Europe when Joan and Ricky invited them to stay with them. I still have the pictures taken on that trip. They were actually fortunate to have spent time with Noel Coward who is also in the pictures I have. I also have the condolence card Joan sent me when my mom passed away herself in 1996.

Of all the people I have ever known, Joan and Ricky will always be remembered as the nicest and self-effacing I have ever met. Their memory has truly enriched my life. I have always been proud that my family was so well-remembered in Joan's most recent autobiography.
- Arthur Kaufman / Fort Lauderdale, FL (USA)
I'm a retired businessman. I moved to Florida from New Jersey in 2006. I live with my wife Donna in a condominium in Fort Lauderdale.

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Dearest Maestro Bonynge, How fortunate we all were to have had a glimpse of Heaven on earth because of Joan's voice. G-d decided to grace the world with His gift of her, so we would be able to connect to the sounds of the heavenly hosts. She surely embodied the greatest attributes of human vocal perfection and her life and art are beyond mere physical translation. My deepest personal condolences to you and your family at this time of deep loss and pain. I just arrived back in Montevideo and heard the shocking news on the radio. Instantly my mind wandered back to beautiful times spent together ...fond memories and a bit of life, moments shared, always cherished - never forgotten. When words are lost and feelings are overwhelming, I always find myself a place - a deep chair and listen to "Lucia"... I have done this for years and I always choose Joan's. In difficult days, in happy ones, her voice has given me incredible strength to spend hours and hours analyzing the sheer perfection of her instrument and the brilliance of her performances, which of course are invariably intertwined with yours. So much of my own work is linked to her technical voice production and my admiration and love for her artistry and vocal capacity is so much the basis of my teachings as you well know. She was very much a part of my life and will remain so.

A voice is forever - beyond the physical, beyond life itself. Joan's Voice is and will always be the epitome of greatness, beauty, ethereal glow - beyond the mundane, in the sphere of the Divine. She was a very real talent, very true and without the unnecessary fanfare and hoopla that are so much a part of our culture today. Beyond all that she gave and shared her gifts because of her extraordinary devotion to the Art and her total commitment and service to the Voice as an instrument - part and parcel of her humanity, without which this would never have been possible. An Artist's Artist who gave unparalleled vocal greatness to the world - without a doubt, the most splendid instrument of our time. I am so, so sorry that I did not insist on seeing both of you when I was in Switzerland last...

My thoughts are with you and your family at this time ... Whatever I can do - please... As always,
- Miriam Jaskierowicz Arman / Montevideo, Montevideo (URUGUAY)
Author of "The Voice: A Spiritual Approach to Singing, Speaking and Communicating" http://www.musicvisionsintl.org      http://www.intlacademyofvoicetzfat.org.il 
http://www.soulreflections-poetry.org

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Dame Joan Sutherland is a name we and future generations will ever keep in our hearts and minds. She has now joined the great pantheon of miraculous divas of years gone by including her fellow Australian, Dame Nelli Melba. She will live on in the history of mankind, of course, for that wondrous soprano that could and did reach the stratosphere, but also because, in Dame Joan we found a woman of great charm, exceeding grace, with so much love and compassion. She displayed these throughout a legendary, lengthy career not to mention in her personal life with husband Richard, son, grandchildren and her many friends. And it is here that I can speak personally about my beloved Dame Joan whom I cherish above any other singer in opera or in the music world at large. If I came to opera when Miss Sutherland had already devoted some 30 years to her art, how fortunate for me! Her legacy of music, already so grand around 1980 had me literally in fits over a voice of which I could not get quite enough. R.I.P.+ most beloved soprano of all. You have always been and will remain an integral part of my life.
- Pietro Antoni / Toronto, Ontario (CANADA)
Professor....17th century French Literature. Have done much work in opera; as lecturer and writer; 14 years on CBC Saturday Afternoon at the Opera. Keep very active in the world scene of Opera.

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Dear Mr. Bonynge, I was very saddned to read of the untimely passing of your wife this past Sunday. My thoughts go to you and your family. I feel extremely privileged for having had the honour to meet both Dame Joan Sutherland and yourself in Houston many years ago. I am also very grateful for having had the opportunity to see many performances at the Metropolitan Opera in the late seventies. Thank you.
- Bruno Brunner / Munich (GERMANY)
I lived in New York from 1978 to 1984 and saw many, many performances at the Metropolitan Opera. I was a member of the Met opera club. Also attended the final performance in Sydney.

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Joan Sutherland has always been my inspiration. My dream was to be a singer like her, but I was not blessed with such a voice. However, Joan's music has given me untold pleasure and will continue to do so. My best wishes to her family and I hope the happy memories they shared with her will sustain them in the future.
- Mary Clothier / Sherborne, Dorset (GREAT BRITAIN)

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I remember hearing Sutherland's voice for the first time in the early 60s. I was a teenager and a new convert to opera, and had borrowed her recording of Traviata from Battersea Library in London. Having listened, rapt, to her delivery of Act 1, I also remember saying to myself 'this is the most beautiful voice I've ever heard'. Soon after, I read in the press that Richard Bonynge claimed that 'my wife has the most beautiful voice in the world'. Whether or not he really said that, he surely must have believed it. And it was. Vale, Dame Joan.
- Roger Wise / Sydney, NSW (AUSTRALIA)

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Grazie Dame Joan per tutti i bellissimi momenti che attraverso il Tuo Canto e la Tua Arte mi hai fatto vivere. Ricordo che prima di sapere chi fossi leggendo un bel volume fotografico intitolato "Gente dell'Opera" lessi arrivato alla Sua scheda, che la prima volta che si ascoltava Joan Sutherland non la si dimenticava mai più,dopo poco tempo La ascoltai nella videoregistrazione di Lucia del 1986 a Sidney e rimasi letteralmente folgorato e mi dissi che colui che aveva scritto la Vostra scheda aveva pienamente ragione,una volta ascoltata Dame Joan non la si poteva scordare più!!! R.I.P.Dame Joan. Con affetto un tuo grande e devoto ammiratore.
- Inzerillo Gian Luigi / Luino, Varese (ITALY)

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Dear Maestro Bonynge and family, I´m deeply saddened that Dame Joan has gone. The world has lost the greatest opera singer and much more.. a wife, mother and grandmother. My deepest sympathies to you... I´ve lost my favourite opera singer and my thoughts were with you last Thursday. Unfortunately I´ve never heard Dame Joan singing live but I had the great opportunity to meet her and talk to her after the Tagliavani competition in Graz in 1999. It was one of the greatest moments in my life. She was so lovely. I shall never forget that day. Dame Joan will always have a place in my heart. Her recordings made and still make me very happy.... Thank you for everything, La Stupenda.. Yours sincerely
- Mathias Rosenfelder / Graz, Styria (AUSTRIA)
Music lover

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Dear, Dear Dame Joan – I had no opportunity to tell you this and I would like to share this with the world. Many years ago during my “I hate opera” period, you appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. My life was never the same! In the next year I went from a pianist who had never sung a note to a voice major. I met a wonderful woman, married her. then a conversation with you and Bonynge convinced me to go into opera. The only opera I really liked was anything YOU sang. Study, MET National Finals, Lyric Opera Chicago program and off I went on an operatic tenor career. I had the voice but not the willingness to give my all for that voice as you did. You gave us the thrilling example of voice and sweetness of personality and demeanor. I know that there is a new star in the heavens and that it is you. There, certainly not in my lifetime, will not be another like you, not only in voice and technique but beauty of character. I will be eternally grateful for you and the effect you have had on my life.
- SPC/ Manassas, VA (USA)

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Good night, sweet princess, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. The world is forever in your debt and will never forget you. Your art will stand for all eternity as the standard for all to measure themselves against in the repertory that you brought back to life.
- Richard Cumming-Bruce / London (ENGLAND)

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Maestro and family: While we are deeply sorry to lose her great voice, we count our blessings for having heard her live and in recordings. I recall a night at the Metropolitan in the early 70's when she and Marilyn Horne sang in Norma. The audience went wild after the duet " Mira, oh Norma", and the curtain calls went on and on after each act. And so it was with every performance, whether it be in concert or staged opera. She was absolutely fantastic in every role she sang. Her recordings preserve for many future generations her art, her talents and that big, wonderful voice. Thank you, Dame Joan, for sharing your gifts with us.
- William C. Norvell, Jr. / Houston, TX (USA)

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It is hard to imagine a voice that healed so many hard times for us out here quite like the voice of this great lady. After a hard day's work with trial and tribulations, I could always go home and listen to my favorite Joan Sutherland recordings. The voice soared with tremendous ease and within that she could ornament like no one before or after. So to listen to her could coax one to forget the problems of the world, for a while at least. I turned 65 on 10-10-10, the day she left us. All the more reason to have a personal fondess for her life. Her great voice led many of us into the realm of opera. Not without critics, but the lushness combined with the agility of her voice never failed to transport me to other realms. I am so glad to have shared this planet with her.

Bravi !! Dame Joan.
- Warren Taylor / Midland, TX (USA)

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Thank you Dame Joan for the 47 years you gave me. I'll never forget the times I saw you on stage or the many times we met socially. You were always my queen of opera. Thank you Richard for giving Joan to all of us. All my love to you and Adam.
- Eric Cordero / Philippsburg, NJ (USA)

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There has not been nor will there ever be another voice like hers!
- Julie Wilson / Winston-Salem, NC (USA)

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Truly a wonderful singer!
- Karen / Auckland (NEW ZEALAND)