Herbert Blomstedt, who headed the San Francisco Symphony from 1985-95 and led orchestras in Scandinavia and Germany during a career over seven decades, died Wednesday.

Blomstedt died at his home in Gothenburg, Sweden, according to his management agency, KnstlerSekretariat am Gasteig.

His final performance was on May 15 with the San Francisco Symphony at Davies Hall, when he entered the stage in a wheelchair and struggled to get through Gustav Mahler's Ninth Symphony, which halted for several minutes during the third movement.