Richard Versalle was born in
Kalamazoo, Michigan on 3 December 1932. After serving in the
submarine branch of the US Navy, he worked in business while studying singing. He was initially known as a concert and
oratorio singer and did not make his operatic stage debut until the age of 45 when he sang Augustin Moser in
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at
Chicago Lyric Opera. His death was reported that same evening. Versalle was married twice. His first marriage produced four children; Michael, Jeffrey, who preceded his father in death from AIDS in 1991, Jody, and Tim. He and his second wife, Alexis Darden, had a daughter, Tessa. His widow and his four remaining children survive him. ==Recordings==