Sybil Evers was an English singer and actress who performed in operettas, operas and plays in London from the early 1920s to the late 1930s. She was also the wife of Harold Abrahams, the Olympic champion runner who inspired the film Chariots of Fire. But what was Sybil Evers cause of death and how did she die?
Early Life and Career
Sybil Evers was born on June 19, 1904, in Rugby, Warwickshire. Her father Claude was a housemaster at the Rugby School for boys and her mother Jessie was a talented water-colourist. Sybil developed a passion for musical comedy from a young age and composed tunes and playlets as a child. She trained as a singer at the Royal College of Music and made her professional stage debut in 1924, as Susan in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Hugh the Drover, a romantic ballad opera
She joined the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1930 and sang small roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas, such as Kate in The Pirates of Penzance, Leila in Iolanthe and Peep-Bo in The Mikado. She also occasionally substituted for larger roles, such as Tessa in The Gondoliers and Mad Margaret in Ruddigore
After leaving the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1931, she appeared in various operettas, operas and plays in London venues, such as the Open Air Theatre, the Winter Garden Theatre, the Cambridge Theatre and the Scala Theatre. She also performed on BBC radio and television, as part of the Wireless Singers, a full-time octet of singers
Some of her notable roles include the Lady in Milton’s Comus, Susanna in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, the title role in Rutland Boughton’s The Lily Maid and Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. She also sang as one of the six Flowermaidens in Wagner’s Parsifal at Covent Garden in 1937, in honour of the coronation of King George VI
Marriage and Personal Life
Sybil Evers married Harold Abrahams, the famous British sprinter and Olympic gold medalist, in 1936. They met at a party hosted by the BBC and fell in love. Abrahams was a Jewish lawyer and sports administrator who had faced discrimination and prejudice in his career. He was also the subject of the 1981 film Chariots of Fire, which depicted his rivalry with Eric Liddell, a Scottish Christian runner, at the 1924 Paris Olympics
Sybil and Harold had a happy marriage and shared a love for music and sports. They lived in a country house in Hertfordshire and had no children. Sybil supported Harold in his work as the chairman of the Amateur Athletic Association and the president of the Jewish Athletic Association. She also accompanied him to various sporting events and social functions
Sybil Evers Cause of Death
Sybil Evers died on June 24, 1963, at the age of 59. The exact cause of her death is not known, but it is believed that she suffered from a chronic illness that affected her heart and lungs. She had been in poor health for several years and had undergone several operations. She died at her home in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, with Harold by her side
Her death was a devastating blow to Harold, who had been devoted to her. He was deeply depressed and lonely after losing his beloved wife. He set up two awards in her memory: the Sybil Evers Memorial Prize for Singing, which was given to the best female singer at the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, and the Sybil Abrahams Memorial Trophy, which was presented to the best British woman athlete by the Duke of Edinburgh
Harold Abrahams died in 1978, at the age of 78. He was buried next to Sybil at the St John the Baptist Churchyard in Great Amwell, Hertfordshire. Their graves are marked by a simple headstone that reads: “Harold Maurice Abrahams 1899–1978 and his beloved wife Sybil Marjorie Evers 1904–1963”
Conclusion
Sybil Evers was a talented and versatile singer and actress who entertained audiences with her voice and charm. She was also a loving and supportive wife to Harold Abrahams, the legendary Olympic runner and sportsman. Her death was a tragic loss for him and for the world of music and theatre. She is remembered as a star of the London stage and a beautiful soul
