Unbelievable. Robert White, who could always be counted on to do a mean impression of Irish tenor John McCormack, died yesterday, the day after St. Patrick’s Day, at the age of 89. Dolores Cascarino and I had just written about him yesterday, in the comments section under my St. Patrick’s Day post. I suppose it’s hardly surprising, as White was always associated with Irish song.

It’s amazing to contemplate that his career spanned eight decades, but already he was performing on the radio in 1942, celebrated as “the little John McCormack.” His repertoire would grow much more versatile than this monicker would suggest.

In the late 1950s, he embarked on a career as a concert tenor. He performed with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra, but in the 1960s he also dipped a toe into what was then still considered arcane territory, when he embraced “early music.” Among other things, he sang in the U.S. premiere of Handel’s “Athalia.”

But he also sang a lot of new music. He appeared in the first performance of Paul Hindemith’s “The Long Christmas Dinner” at Juilliard in 1963. Other prominent composers who wrote for him include Mark Adamo, William Bolcom, John Corigliano, Lukas Foss, Stephen Hough, Libby Larsen, Lowell Liebermann, Gian Carlo Menotti, Tobias Picker, Ned Rorem, and David Del Tredici.

In the 1970s, White leaned into his success as an “Irish” tenor. He was actually born in the Bronx. He received his early training from his father and as a chorister at St. Jerome’s Church. At the age of 6, he made his radio debut as Bobby White. He recorded his first album, “Ring of Gold,” at the age of 7. His radio appearances teamed him with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Humphrey Bogart.

He undertook his formal studies at Hunter College, and then in Europe, where he attended, among other institutions, the American Academy at Fontainebleau, where he benefited from the guidance of Gérard Souzay and Nadia Boulanger.

He later returned to Hunter College and Juilliard as a teacher. He also taught at Manhattan School of Music. He was twice invited to the White House, to perform for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter.

For years, whenever one of my air shifts happened to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day, I would play from White’s recording (with Ani Kavafian, Yo-Yo Ma, and Samuel Sanders) of Beethoven’s settings of Irish folk songs. White also made fine recordings for EMI, Virgin Classics, and Hyperion Records.

R.I.P.