André Watts Obituary – Death: American Classical Pianist, André Watts Died From Prostate Cancer
André Watts Obituary News: André Watts, a 77-year-old American classical pianist and professor at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, passed away. He was declared deceased on July 12, 2023, a Wednesday.
Watts received a prostate cancer diagnosis in July of 2016, and on July 12, 2023, at the age of 77, he passed away. On Thursday, July 13, 2023, his death was publicly reported, and his family, friends, and admirers grieved.
Who is André Watts?
The American pianist André Watts, who was born in Germany, had a performance and teaching career that lasted for more than 60 years. He gained the highest regard and adoration from the public and his peers throughout that time.
André made his spectacular debut in January 1963, at the age of just 16, by taking part in a television broadcast of Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts. He delivered a superb performance of Liszt’s first concerto during this appearance.
After a few weeks had passed, Bernstein invited Watts to fill in for a sick Glenn Gould during a concert at Carnegie Hall. Watts accepted. The orchestra and the audience both stood to applause as the two of them performed the same composition.
I’ve included a video of the television coverage of the magnificent concert from January 15, 1963 in the comments section.
The show was brilliant and refined all at the same time. Watts was the kind of sensitive and astute artist whose depth and elegance were all too easily neglected because of how easily they might be.
In the comments section, there is also a link to a gorgeous appearance on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. In this performance, they discuss the beauty of music and how it affects emotions, as well as the pressures of making mistakes and how we may learn from them.
Finally, he performs a beautiful interpretation of Liszt’s “En rêve,” which is also known as “In a dream.”