Gerard Mortier dies from cancer at 70

Madrid’s Teatro Royal director Gerard Mortier has died from cancer at the age of 70.

Gerard Mortier, who was born in Belgium, spearheaded an operatic production of Brokeback Mountain at the Spain’s opera.

In a career spanning more than three decades, Gerard Mortier was also head of the Paris Opera from 2004 to 2009 and ran the Salzburg Festival from 1990 to 2001.

His tenure at Teatro Royal had come to an end the previous September when he announced that he was being treated for cancer and urged the institution to consider a list of non-Spanish successors.

In a statement, Teatro Royal said Gerard Mortier “contributed to promoting Spain’s operatic and cultural landscape and placing the Teatro Real among the world’s leading international opera houses”.

Gerard Mortier was due to become director of the New York City Opera (NYCO) in 2008 but resigned before he took up the post over budgetary constraints.