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A promising Christchurch opera singer who died tragically after being hit by a car in Sydney, had the voice and stage presence to go all the way, friends say.
Baritone Seamus Casey, 27, had been married only five months to fellow singer Laura when the accident happened last week.
His family were with him at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital when it became clear he would not recover and his life-support was turned off earlier this week.
The damage to his brain stem was too severe, said friend and fellow singer Wade Kernot.
In an online diary now closed down, Laura Casey spoke of taking her husband off life-support as the most difficult few hours of her life.
Selected to join the Dame Malvina Major Emerging Artists programme in 2002, Mr Casey moved to Australia for further study in Perth after attending a singing school in Napier in 2003.
It was in Napier he met his wife and Mr Kernot.
"I had heard about him before I met him. He had a bit of buzz about him at the time," said Mr Kernot, who is involved in New Zealand Opera's La Boheme. "I think to want to get on stage you have got to be a bit of an extrovert, and he was definitely a big personality."
The success rate in opera singing was "tricky", but Mr Casey had everything he needed.
"He had a definite acting ability, and great life experience for doing this sort of job. And ... he had a very big, promising voice. He could have gone anywhere with it really."
Mr Casey had suffered serious health problems in the past that required major stomach surgery.
It set his career back, but he recovered and continued to develop his singing.
Anthea Moller, who taught Mr Casey in Napier and Perth, believes Mr Casey would have succeeded in a career as a performer.
He will be farewelled at a funeral service in Christchurch next week, in which Mr Kernot and others are expected to sing tributes.
