German Opera Singer Rudolf Schock Dies

Rudolf Schock, one of postwar Germany’s best-known opera singers who also performed frequently abroad, died Thursday at the age of 71, a police spokesman said. A son-in-law found the tenor singer’s body in his Dueren home, said the spokesman.

Born in Duisburg on Sept. 4, 1915, Schock made his debut at age 18 with the opera house of that Ruhr Valley city. Schock’s career took off after World War II, incorporating guest appearances with many renowned opera houses abroad and also performances as an oratorio and lyrical singer.

His best-known engagements were with the Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Brussels, Vienna, Salzburg, Edinburgh and London opera houses. He made many recordings and appeared in television productions, including “Deutschland, Schoene Heimat” (Germany, Beautiful Homeland), in which he sang traditional German hiking songs as he wandered through the Black Forest.

Schock is survived by his wife, Gisela, and two daughters.