Shirley Verrett, School of Music, Theatre and Dance professor of voice and 2005 recipient of the Opera News Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Field of Opera, passed away Friday morning in her Ann Arbor home.

Verrett, 79, died from heart failure following months of illness, her daughter, Francesca LoMonaco told The New York Times.

According to The Telegraph, Verrett was able to overcome obstacles of racial discrimination to rise to fame in the 1960s and 1970s. Today, Verrett is remembered as being one of the most powerful and dramatic singers and performers of her time.

Verrett started singing mezzo-soprano but later switched to soprano. According to The Telegraph, she performed at the Metropolitan Opera 126 times during her career and has appeared several times in London and Germany.

Opera News Editor in Chief F. Paul Driscoll said Verrett “created a legion of unforgettable performances in the mezzo-soprano and soprano repertory,” according to the University’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance website.

“Verrett is one of opera’s true legends — an artist whose beauty, elegance and charisma made her a favorite with audiences throughout the United States and Europe and a woman whose courage, tenacity and integrity have made her a role model for all artists,” he said.

Verrett was born in Louisiana in 1931. Her family later moved to Los Angeles, where her musical talents were discovered after she performed in her church choir. Her parents encouraged her singing career but disapproved of opera, according to the Times.

Despite her parent’s discouragement, Verrett studied at the Juilliard School in New York, where she won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and debuted as Carmen in 1968, according to the Times.

After escaping an abusive marriage, Verrett married Lou LoMonaco, with whom she adopted a daughter. She is survived by her husband, daughter and granddaughter.