Opera singer's death followed row over her boyfriend's text

Amy Black, who had only recently started performing again following major heart surgery, was found lifeless at Mill Nurseries in Keyingham, near Hull, last November 24.

An inquest in Hull heard the "bubbly" mezzo-soprano appeared to make "remarkable" progress after the operation at the Royal Brompton Hospital in June.

But the 36-year-old, who had toured with the European Opera, as well as singing with English National Opera, started to complain of chest pains and a lack of energy two or three months later.

On November 23 she became upset after reading a text message from her boyfriend Manus de Lang to Victoria Monday, the mother of his eight-year-old son, saying Miss Black and he were just friends.

She packed her clothes and left Mr de Lang's house, before driving back, probably just half an hour later, at 8.44pm.

The following morning Mr de Lang opened his curtains to see her lying in the front garden. She had his mobile phone in one hand and a set of keys in the other, including the key to his front door.

The court heard Mr de Lang, one of the directors of a family horticultural business, a leading tomato producer, had split up with Ms Monday around a year after his son's birth and he had not seen his son until September 2009.

After that they had met up five times and were exchanging texts several times a week.

Miss Monday told the court she was led to believe he was on his own but had then heard he was seeing Miss Black.

She sent him a text saying the relationship would not go anywhere with her son and herself if someone else was involved.

When Miss Black saw Mr de Lang's response, which had been written with the help of his sister, she became upset. Not wanting to inflame the situation further he walked off.

Later Miss Black rang his sister who explained to her that if they needed to make light of his relationship with her (Miss Black) in order for him to see his son, they would. The court was told she reacted "positively".

Miss Black's mother Linda said her daughter "had a wicked, wicked sense of humour" but was probably unsure how Mr de Lang would react because she had shouted at him.

She said she thought her daughter would have been intending rattling his front window to frighten him and hopefully "they would laugh about it and get back together".

The inquest heard Miss Black was keen to get back to her singing.

She had her first lesson in September and performed her first concert on October 15.

She complained of her shoulders hurting and a dry cough after returning from a trip to the US in late October but a GP told her it was viral and gave her an inhaler.

A different doctor saw her on November 17 and told her he was "99.9 per cent sure it wasn't her heart".

The inquest was adjourned until Monday when medical experts will be giving evidence.