Beloved tenor Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007) passed away in the early hours of Thursday, September 6, 2007, at age 71, in his native city of Modena, Italy. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in June 2006 and while undergoing treatment, his condition deteriorated rapidly during the last few months of his life. To many, he remains one of the greatest tenors this century.

“I think a life in music is a life beautifully spent and this is what I have devoted my life to.” —Luciano Pavoratti, 1935-2007

“Arguably no other opera singer in music history* achieved the same level of international celebrity as tenor Luciano Pavarotti; his voice — robust, resonant, and immediately recognizable — launched him into the stratosphere of household recognition usually reserved for pop stars and Hollywood icons, and in the process spurred opera itself on to new peaks of mainstream popularity. Born in Modena, Italy, on October 12, 1935, as a boy he enjoyed local fame as a member of the town’s soccer team, and first sang in the chorus with his father, himself a fine amateur tenor and devoted opera buff…the Pavarotti phenomenon began in earnest on February 17, 1972 during a performance of La Fille du Regiment at New York’s Metropolitan Opera; after his effortless completion of an aria containing nine high Cs, the audience erupted in prolonged applause, and his stardom was assured…his entire stage repertory eventually reached record, and he also sold millions of copies of his solo albums of opera arias, traditional music, and holiday favorites. Pavarotti’s live performances included many stadium dates, as well as numerous other attention-grabbing spectacles; additionally, some of his greatest success was achieved in the company of Placido Domingo and José Carreras, performing together as the Three Tenors.” —Allmusic.com

*Notably Enrico Caruso was among the most popular singers in any genre in the early twentieth century and one of the pioneers of recorded music.