I guess it is now official. Anna Russell Dies By Susan Elliott MusicalAmerica.com October 19, 2006 Anna Russell, soprano, comedienne, author, died yesterday at the age of 94. Her death was reported by her adopted daughter, Deirdre Prussak, with whom she lived in Rosedale, New South Wales, Australia, during her final years. Ms. Russell died peacefully, in her sleep. The cause was esophageal cancer, only recently diagnosed. Born in London, she attended the Royal College of Music and began her career as a folksinger on BBC radio in 1931. A subsequent radio broadcast brought her to Toronto, where she ultimately lived for most of her life. She was hugely popular there, to the point where the street on which she lived was re-named "Anna Russell Way." She began to pursue a concert career as a lyric soprano in the early 1940s; her New York debut in 1948 at Town Hall secured her reputation as an erudite musical comedienne. A New York Times review of that event reads in part, "An evening of musical satire of highest quality was presented by Anna Russell, singer, pianist, diseuse and mime....Blending a devastating perception of concert singer's and pianist's mannerisms with well-timed wit and low buffoonery, she often had to pause for laughter from her large audience." Ms. Russell toured widely and recorded some of her better known segments, including her 30-minute version of Wagner's "Ring" and "How to Write Your Own Gilbert and Sullivan Opera" (to quote from her lexicon, "I'm not making this up, you know"). The Ed Sullivan Show was among a number of television appearances, and she authored several books, including "The Power of Being a Positive Stinker" (1955) and the "Anna Russell Songbook" (1958). "She certainly brought musical parody to a high art," commented Ernest Gilbert, friend and president of Video Arts International, which holds the rights to much of her catalog. Gilbert estimated that her last performance would have been about 20 years ago. Karl