Celebrated Spanish opera singer Plácido Domingo has accepted “full responsibility” after multiple accusations of sexual harassment by women he had worked with were reportedly upheld in a non-judicial investigation.

The investigation into Mr Domingo’s behaviour was conducted by lawyers hired by the American Guild of Musical Artists after news reports last year revealed accounts by 27 women who said the singer, now aged 79, had sexually harassed them or made unwanted approaches.

The panel concluded that the accounts showed a clear pattern of sexual misconduct and abuse of power by Mr Domingo spanning at least two decades when he held senior management positions at Washington National Opera and Los Angeles Opera, according to those who spoke to The Associated Press news agency on condition of anonymity. The findings have not yet been made public.

Mr Domingo, who had previously brushed off the accusations as baseless, issued a statement to the Spanish Europa Press agency on Tuesday saying he wanted the women who had accused him to know that “I am truly sorry for the hurt that I caused them.”

“I understand now that some women may have feared expressing themselves honestly because of a concern that their careers would be adversely affected if they did so. While that was never my intention, no one should ever be made to feel that way,” his statement continued.

It is unclear whether any of the accusations against Mr Domingo could prompt a criminal investigation.

Retired opera singer Patricia Wulf was one of the women who came forward, and one of only two who have so far gone public with the allegations. "In my business, he was like God," she said in August 2019. Ms Wulf, who starred with Mr Domingo at the Washington Opera in 1998, said he pressured her every time they performed together. "He would come up to me very close to my face and very clearly say, 'Patricia, do you have to go home tonight,'" Wulf said.