Jubilant Sykes, Celebrated Opera Singer, Dead at 71: Police Confirm Son Is in Custody

Singer Jubilant Sykes was the victim of a fatal stabbing at his Santa Monica home on Monday (Dec. 8). The Grammy-nominated classical, opera and gospel singer was pronounced dead at the scene by authorities. Sykes was 71.

Police officers were called to Sykes’ California residence around 9:20 p.m. PT on Monday after receiving a 911 call reporting an alleged assault, according to a statement released by the Santa Monica Police Department.

After entering Sykes’ residence, “officers located an adult male, 71-year-old Jubilant Sykes, with critical injuries consistent with a stabbing. Santa Monica Fire Department personnel responded and pronounced the individual deceased at the scene.” 

Skyes’ 31-year-old son, Micah Sykes (identified by police as “the suspect” in the release) was found inside the home and taken into custody “without incident.” Sykes, one of the singer’s three sons, is set to be booked for homicide, and “the case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration.”

“I was born and raised in Santa Monica, so we were really pretty close out here. What a singer… Good spirit, good-hearted person, beautiful family,” Jubilant Sykes’ neighbor and friend Sammy Murphy told KTLA.

Billboard has reached out to the Santa Monica Police Department for comment.

Sykes was a decorated baritone singer trained in classical music, who had performed in operas across the globe in prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center, Apollo Theater, Hollywood Bowl and the New Orleans Jazz Festival.

The Los Angeles native earned a Grammy nomination for his role as the Celebrant in Leonard Bernstein’s Mass in 2009.

“In life, there is an extraordinary pain, and I don’t believe that you can sing without having a little bit of pain in life,” Sykes told All Things Considered host Michele Norris in 2002. “The fact that we’re all alive is a great gift, but pain is always coupled in there. I don’t think you can have great love without great pain.”