Joan Sutherland, dubbed "La Stupenda" ("the stupendous
one") in the 1960s, the Australian soprano who played a leading role in the revival of bel canto singing and repertory in a career spanning more than 40 years, has died at the age of 83 at her home in Switzerland.An obituary by The New York Times' Anthony Tommasini:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/12/arts/music/12sutherland.html?ref=music
An appreciation/obituary written by Alan Blyth (who died in 2007) for The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/oct/11/dame-joan-sutherland-obituary
An appreciation, with video clips appended, by The Washington Post's Anne Midgette:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-classical-beat/2010/10/joan_sutherland_addio_stupenda.html#more