Jubilant Sykes, acclaimed baritone, fatally stabbed by son at home in Santa Monica, police allege

Grammy-nominated gospel vocalist Jubilant Sykes was stabbed to decease successful his Santa Monica location precocious Sunday, and his lad was taken into custody astatine the scene, constabulary said.

The 71-year-old victim, a salient vocalist arsenic good arsenic an actor, was pronounced dormant soon aft constabulary arrived astatine the residence, according to Santa Monica Police Lt. Lewis Gilmore. There, they besides discovered his son, 31-year-old Micah Sykes, inactive wrong the Delaware Avenue home. He was booked connected suspicion of homicide.

Over his career, Jubilant Sykes performed successful venues astir the satellite and crossed genres — opera, gospel, spirituals, amusement tunes, people and popular — moving with figures including Renée Fleming, Terence Blanchard, Carlos Santana, Julie Andrews and Brian Wilson. His resume included the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Apollo Theater and the Metropolitan Opera. In 2010, helium earned a Grammy information for his signaling of Leonard Bernstein’s “Mass.”

On Sunday, Sykes’ wife, Cecelia, initially reported the incidental arsenic an assault. She told investigators her lad had a past of intelligence illness, though detectives person not determined whether it played a relation successful the killing.

“The fishy was cooperative and taken into constabulary custody without incident,” Gilmore said. ”The full calamity took spot wrong the confines of the household home.”

Police had not received immoderate caller home calls for work involving the household anterior to the incident, and the motive remains nether investigation, constabulary said.

“She wasn’t truly alert of an altercation oregon an statement that led up to the stabbing,” Gilmore said, adding that Cecelia Sykes did not study feeling endangered during the incident. “I cognize the fishy had escaped entree to the house. It is unclear if helium was surviving determination connected a full-time oregon part-time basis, but it is the household location and helium was allowed to beryllium there.”

Police believed lone the mates and their lad were wrong astatine the time.

Jubilant Sykes was calved successful Los Angeles successful 1954, and his unsocial archetypal sanction came courtesy of his mother.

“She named maine that simply due to the fact that she wanted maine to beryllium jubilant,” Sykes told The Times successful 1996. “And erstwhile it comes to music, I am.”

He grew up successful the metropolis and sang soprano arsenic a lad until his dependable changed. Sykes aboriginal said helium mislaid involvement successful euphony for a spot until a euphony teacher showed him however to usage his caller teen voice.

“I can’t retrieve ever not singing,” helium told The Times successful 1999, recalling euphony filling the location and soft lessons arsenic a child.

After graduating from precocious school, Sykes majored successful euphony astatine Cal State Fullerton.

“I conscionable threw myself into it, wholly clueless,” helium said years later.

His displacement toward classical singing was cemented aft helium won archetypal spot successful the Metropolitan Opera’s Los Angeles determination auditions, starring to a debut astatine New York’s Metropolitan Opera successful 1990.

He besides appeared connected movie soundtracks and took occasional acting roles, including successful the Cuba Gooding Jr. movie “Freedom,” and successful the philharmonic “1776” astatine New York City Center. In Southern California, helium performed locally, including connected the opening-night measure for the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center successful 2008 and a 2006 show with Carlos Santana astatine the Hollywood Bowl.

Jubilant Sykes is survived by his woman and 3 sons.

An probe of Sunday’s fatal stabbing is underway, according to Police Lt. Gilmore.

Details connected Micah Sykes’ bail and his archetypal tribunal quality were not instantly available.