Renowned opera singer stabbed to death in California home and cops say his son is suspected killer

Renowned opera singer stabbed to death in California home and cops say his son is suspected killer

Rachel Dobkin

Tue, December 9, 2025 at 11:09 PM UTC

2 min read

Renowned opera singer stabbed to death in California home and cops say his son is suspected killer

A renowned opera singer was stabbed to death in his Los Angeles-area home and his son was arrested on suspicion of the killing.

Officers with the Santa Monica Police Department arrived at the home in the city on Monday night after receiving a 911 call about “an assault in progress,” authorities said.

Police say they found 71-year-old Jubilant Sykes critically injured and that it appeared to be a stabbing. The singer was pronounced dead at the property.

Sykes’ 31-year-old son, Micah, was identified as the suspect in the killing. Police say he was taken into custody at the home “without incident.”

The events leading up to the stabbing are still unclear and forensic specialists are currently processing evidence, including a weapon found at the home, according to authorities.

Jubilant Sykes, a 71-year-old renowned opera singer, was stabbed to death in a Los Angeles County home, and the cops believe his son is the killer (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Micah was booked for homicide, and his bail was set at $2 million, according to jail records viewed by The Independent. It is unclear whether he has an attorney yet.

The Independent has reached out to the Santa Monica Police Department for comment.

Sykes had performed around the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Barbican Centre in London and Deutsche Oper Berlin in Germany.

He was even nominated for a Grammy award for his role of the Celebrant in the 2009 recording of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass.

Sykes “was a singer beyond words,” his friend Pam Ford told the local outlet KTLA.

Sykes had performed around the world and even earned a Grammy nomination (Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

Another friend, Sammy Murphy, remembered Sykes as a “good man” and a “good singer,” adding, “I know he’s going to heaven.”

Murphy said Sykes had three sons and that one of them was a “bad man.” It’s unclear whether he was referring to Micah.

One unnamed neighbor told local outlet KABC that it’s usually a “very quiet” area.

"I walked over and saw the crime tape and knew that something big had happened," the neighbor said. "The coroner was here, and it's just a very quiet neighborhood.

“It's very scary. I heard it was a domestic dispute, but it's just sad when that happens around the holidays."

Neighbors and investigators told local media that Micah had allegedly struggled with mental health issues. Authorities have yet to reveal a motive for the killing.

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