OPERA singer Placido Domingo has apologised for ‘the hurt’ he caused women after more than two dozen named him as a sexual abuser.
The 79-year-old star, who has previously said he was ‘flirtatious’ but not ‘inappropriate’, issued a statement accepting ‘full responsibility’ for his actions after an inquiry by the US union representing opera performers.
‘I respect that these women finally felt comfortable enough to speak out and I want them to know that I am truly sorry for the hurt that I caused them,’ he stated. ‘I accept full responsibility for my actions and I have grown from this experience.’
The incidents allegedly happened when Domingo held senior management positions at Washington National Opera and Los Angeles Opera.
Lawyers for the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) interviewed 55 people and 27 said they had experienced or witnessed sexually suggestive behaviour by Domingo in the 1990s and 2000s. A further 12 said his reputation was ‘common knowledge’ at the two companies.
The AGMA concluded his inappropriate activity ranged from kisses on the mouth to groping, late-night phone calls asking women to come to his home and invitations to go out with him that were so persistent some women felt they were being stalked.
Two women said they had sex with Domingo as they felt compelled to submit because of his position of authority and power over their careers. Domingo’s statement added: ‘I understand now that some women may have feared expressing themselves honestly because of a concern that their careers would be adversely affected if they did so.
‘While that was never my intention, no one should ever be made to feel that way. I am committed to effecting positive change in the opera industry so no one else has to have that experience.’
Another inquiry, still ongoing, was launched by LA Opera, where he was general director from 2003 to last year.
