NEW YORK — The tenor who set the record for most appearances at the Metropolitan Opera has died at age 82.
The Met says Charles Anthony died Wednesday in Florida.
He sang 2,928 performances at the Met of 111 roles in 69 operas during a career that spanned from 1954 to 2010.
He was born Calogero Antonio Caruso in New Orleans in 1929. He entered the Met's "Auditions of the Air" competition in 1952.
Met general manager Rudolf Bing feared the public would think he was related to Enrico Caruso and the young singer would be burdened with expectations.
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A Playbill article at the time of the singer's retirement says Bing persuaded him to change his name a half-hour before air time.