Anthony Sabella
WTKR.com
September 3, 2026
NORFOLK, Va. — Edythe Harrison, who once represented Norfolk in the Virginia House of Delegates and whose name adorns the city’s opera house, has died at the age of 91.
An obituary reveals Harrison died on Monday, September 1.
According to the obituary, Harrison and her husband, Stanley, moved to Norfolk from Detroit in 1956. In the 1960s, she gained notoriety as a champion of the civil rights movement.
Then, in 1974, she organized the creation of the Virginia Opera Association and became its first board chair. In the 1990s, Harrison raised millions of dollars to help convert Norfolk’s Center Theater into a home for the Virginia Opera. The Harrison Opera House — named for Edythe and Stanley — still serves as a principal venue for the opera and countless other performances.