Tenor Jerry Hadley died Wednesday, July 18, at a hospital in Poughkeepsie, NY, after having suffered severe brain damage after having shot himself in his home.

Jerry Hadley, a highly respected tenor who sang in the world’s major opera houses and made numerous listeners happy throughout his career, died Wednesday at St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. He had been taken off life support two days earlier.

Mr. Hadley had attempted suicide on July 10, shooting himself with an air rifle at his home in Clinton Corners, N.Y., police said. He was left with severe brain damage. He was 55.

His most prosperous period was in the 1980s and 1990s, when he was especially well known in the opera world.

During this time, he performed at La Scala, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Hamburg State Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, the San Diego Opera etc and treated audiences with Mozart and French and Italian roles.

He also sang the role of Tom Rakewell in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress and the tenor lead role in Sir Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio.

The later part of his career was less gratifying to the opera singer, as opera and concert bookings were scarcer. This seemed to have a heavy effect on him, as he suffered from depression and financial woes, according to media reports.

Robert Rochler, a senior investigator with the New York State Police, said that at the time Mr. Bradley attempted suicide, he had filed for bankruptcy and was undergoing treatment for depression.

He last performed on stage in May 2007 in Brisbane, Australia as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Opera Queensland.

He was divorced from pianist Cheryl Drake Hadley, with whom he had two sons.

Despite the sad circumstances of his demise, Jerry Hadley will be remembered by connoisseurs, family and friends, as a kind man, passionate about music.