José van Dam, the Belgian bass-baritone known internationally for his work in opera, died on February 17, 2026, at the age of 85.
Born Joseph Van Damme in Ixelles, part of Brussels, on August 25, 1940, he studied at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and made his opera debut in 1960 as Don Basilio in Rossini’s “Il barbiere di Siviglia” at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie. He began his career at the Paris Opera and went on to appear at major houses and festivals including La Scala, the Royal Opera House, the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera and the Salzburg Festival.
He also served as master of the singing section at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel from 2004 to 2023.
Joseph, Baron Van Damme (25 August 1940 – 17 February 2026), known as José van Dam (French: [ʒo.ze.van.dam]), was a Belgian bass-baritone, described as having “a magnificent resonant and expressive voice” and being “an excellent actor”. Beginning at the Paris Opera, he made an international career, especially in the French repertoire; Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen was an early signature role that he took to La Scala in Milan and the Royal Opera House in London. He performed the title role of Messiaen’s Saint François d’Assise in the 1983 world premiere at the Paris Opera. He performed regularly at the Salzburg Festival and made several recordings with Herbert von Karajan that are regarded as reference recordings. In film, he portrayed Leporello in the 1979 opera film Don Giovanni, directed by Joseph Losey and conducted by Lorin Maazel. He served as master of the singing section at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel from 2004 to 2023.