Jerry’s Obituary Jerry Richard Pruett, 77, died peacefully on December 25th with his daughters by his side, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. Jerry is survived by his wife of 21 years, Karen Pruett and stepson Stephen Patla of Bloomfield; his daughter Kathryn Pruett and daughter and son-in-law Christi and Bob Busch, all of Charlotte, NC; as well as Jerry’s older brother and his wife, Larry and Darlene Pruett (and children Robin and Dan) of Jacksonville, FL. Jerry was born in Poplar Bluff, Missouri on November 22, 1941 son of Troy and Pearl Pruett.
Jerry was drawn to music at an early age, playing the trumpet in his school band, and singing in the school choir. After graduating from high school, Jerry attended Arkansas State University where he studied instrumental music. After graduating from ASU, he moved back to Poplar Bluff and taught music (band and choir) at Poplar Bluff High School.
He was called to sing after a ‘vision’ he had of himself on stage singing in front of a large audience and his focus shifted to vocal music. After working with the renowned voice teacher Thorwald Olsen in St. Louis for several years, he realized his dream and dedicated himself exclusively on becoming an opera singer. While he was teaching at Iowa State, Jerry was discovered by Nicolai Gedda, and at Gedda’s suggestion, Jerry moved his family to New York City to pursue this passion.
He made his professional debut in 1974 at Carnegie Hall in New York City, as Ugo in Parisina d’Este. Shortly after his debut, Jerry traveled to Europe for an audition tour, and in 1975 he was engaged by the Vienna Volksoper where he was the lead tenor for 4 years. This was the first time the Volksoper hired someone based solely on an audition and not after seeing multiple performances.
Jerry was proud of this fact. After leaving the Vienna Volksoper, he continued to perform all over Europe as a freelance lyric tenor. Brussels, Marseilles, Paris and Glyndebourne were some of his favorite places.
His professional opera career spanned almost two decades, starting in Vienna and eventually on to Paris, France when his wife, Jacquelyn (Kimberlin) was hired by the American Cathedral in Paris. Jerry and Jackie had two daughters, Christi and Kathryn, who were fortunate enough to be part of this musical adventure. Before retiring from performing, Jerry sang the tenor voice in the Oscar nominated Belgian movie The Music Teacher.
While the actor was Belgian, it was Jerry’s voice that made the movie! Returning to the United States in 1989, Jerry was hired by the Hartt School of Music, part of the University of Hartford in Bloomfield CT where he taught until his retirement in 2004. A gathering of family and friends will begin at 10 am Saturday, February 16, at Cotrell Funeral Chapel in Poplar Bluff, MO with a celebration of Jerry’s life to follow at 11:00 am.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Alzheimer’s Association. Cotrell Funeral Service is honored to serve the family of Jerry R. Pruett.
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