Kyra Vayne

Russian-born soprano Kyra Vayne died on 12 January 2001, aged 84. Her family fled Russia in 1917 (shortly after her birth on 29 January 1916) and settled in London. Vayne was successful on the opera stage in the 1940s and 50s but spent the rest of her working life as a secretary after the suicide of her agent. She was rediscovered in the early 1990s, and her recordings and autobiography were released. She sang in Moscow for the millennium celebrations.