Portugal Colonial - British soprano Felicity Lott dies aged 79

The acclaimed singer reportedly died on Friday, after battling a terminal cancer diagnosis "with great dignity and acceptance", agent Sue Spence said.

Lott -- widely known by the nickname "Flott" -- had revealed the diagnosis in a recent BBC interview, with Spence noting that she "was characteristically classy and elegant to the end".

During a decades-spanning career, she performed at opera houses and concert halls around the world, with her portrayals in works by composers Richard Strauss and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart earning particular critical and popular praise.

The soprano had also worked with the world's major orchestras.

"Everybody loved Flott," Spence added in a statement. "In her work, she was sublime; inhabiting every performance with precision, depth and beauty. But it was her humanity and kindness that really touched people."

A regular at the annual BBC Proms music festival, Lott was awarded a damehood in 1996 while her involvement with French music won her the Legion of Honour, the country's highest cultural award.

The Royal Ballet and Opera in London lauded her as "among the finest sopranos of her time, internationally celebrated for the poise and attentiveness of her artistry and the sheer beauty of her voice".

It noted she had appeared frequently on its stage over the decades.

Its chief executive Alex Beard noted her "authenticity and self-deprecation were as one with her extraordinary vocal talent and brilliantly understated stage presence".

"Above all, her limitless generosity and warmth, especially to younger artists meant she made a difference to more lives than she knew," he added.

The Paris Opera also paid tribute, saying Lott "shared a deeply affectionate bond with France" which began with her spending an academic year as an English language assistant at a school near Grenoble.

It was there, when enrolled at the Grenoble Conservatory, that she met a teacher "who recognised her rare talent and encouraged her to pursue a career as a singer," it said in a lengthy remembrance posted online.

"Over the course of an exceptional international career, Dame Felicity Lott established herself on the world's greatest stages," it added, calling her "one of the most distinguished interpreters" of history's most storied composers.

M.A.Vaz--PC