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Internationally renowned coloratura soprano Lily Pons was a popular star of the Metropolitan Opera who also appeared in three Hollywood features during the '30s and '40s. Born in Draguignan, France, she started out as a classically trained pianist. Pons began studying voice in the early '20s and also began appearing on the Paris stage. She debuted as a singer in 1928 and came to the Met in the early '30s. Rising to become one of the distinguished company's brightest, most enduring stars, her career spanned 30 years and nearly 300 performances. Pons left the stage in 1962 but returned a decade later to give a spectacular solo performance at Lincoln Center. Pons died of pancreatic cancer in 1976.