June 10, 2000

Frank Patterson, known as “Ireland’s Golden Tenor”, died on this day in 2000 at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Born in Co. Tipperary in 1938, Patterson started singing as a young boy with his local church choir. He moved to Dublin in 1961 to enroll at the National Academy of Theater and studied acting and received vocal training. While studying in Paris, he caught the attention of Philips Recording Company after a radio broadcast. He signed a deal with the company and recorded his first record “My Dear Native Land.” He moved to the U.S. where he achieved the most success, selling out New York’s Carnegie Hall. He performed for Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.