Classical singer Jubilant Sykes was stabbed to death inside his California home Monday evening in what police are calling an isolated “domestic incident” involving his son.
The celebrated baritone, who performed as the Celebrant in the Grammy-nominated 2009 recording of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass, was found with “critical injuries consistent with a stabbing” inside his Santa Monica home after an unidentified third party called 911 Monday night to report an assault in progress, police said.
Sykes, 71, was pronounced dead at the scene. His son, Micah Sykes, was found inside the residence and taken into custody without incident, authorities said. The son, 31, was booked on suspicion of homicide after investigators recovered the suspected stabbing weapon at the scene, according to a statement from the Santa Monica Police. His bail was set at $2 million, according to online jail records.
“This appears to be an isolated incident occurring within a private residence, and there is no ongoing threat to the community,” police said in posts on social media. The case is expected to be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney for possible criminal charges.
A Southern California woman previously accused Micah of threatening behavior that led her to seek and obtain a restraining order in 2017. “Micah shows signs of mental instability. His behavior is unpredictable,” the petition obtained by Rolling Stone reads. “Micah poses a real threat… and he has been violent with his own family members.”
According to the filing, Micha approached the woman outside a church and told her he loved her and was convinced she loved him back. When someone intervened on the woman’s behalf, Micah allegedly asked the man, “Do you have a sharp object in your back pocket?”
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Micah was later placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold after an attempted break-in at a home belonging to the man’s father, according to the restraining order petition. The restraining order was granted in October 2017 after a hearing.
Jubilant Sykes performed in the Grammy-nominated recording of Mass with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under conductor Marin Alsop. Gramophone Magazine called him “the best of all possible Celebrants.”
