Felicity Lott Reveals Terminal Cancer Diagnosis at 79

felicity lott has revealed that doctors have given her a terminal cancer diagnosis. The 79-year-old soprano said she is making arrangements for her own admission to one of the hospice centres while publicly disclosing the illness this weekend.

“I’m just so happy at the moment. I don’t want anybody to be sad because I'm having a ball. I can’t understand it, because I’m not very well,” she said, putting the diagnosis in direct contrast with her current mood. She added that she has known about being ill for almost a year.

October sale in Sussex

The soprano still plans to hold the charity sale in October in aid of the hospices in Sussex. Lott said the designer pieces she assembled for the sale came from a decision she now calls “a daft move,” after buying dresses in Paris and building “this fantastic collection of Givenchy and Bruce Oldfield.”

“It’s quite ironic, really, because when I didn’t know that I was ill, I got in touch with the wonderful chief fundraiser… I thought maybe we could auction them in aid of the hospices. Then, blow me, you get signed up to the hospice yourself,” she said. The sale now sits beside her care plans, turning a fundraising idea into part of the story of how she is handling the diagnosis.

1975 and 1996 milestones

Lott’s public disclosure lands against a long career that began with her celebrated debut as Pamina in The Magic Flute at the London Coliseum in 1975. She was made a dame in 1996 and is the recipient of the Légion d’honneur, a profile that helps explain why even a personal health announcement carries public weight.

“It has been amazing. I’ve known about being ill for almost a year and, my goodness, it was a shock. But here I am for a bit longer, and I’ve had time to look back and think, ‘Golly, you lucky thing… You’ve met all these wonderful people and had a wonderful life. You’ve been all over the world.” That is the practical frame now: hospice arrangements on one side, a charity sale in October on the other, with Lott choosing to keep the fundraising plan alive.