Opera legend Pavarotti dies

Opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, hailed by many as the greatest tenor of his generation, has died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 71.In July 2006, Pavarotti underwent surgery in New York for the disease and retreated to his villa in Modena where he died surrounded by his family, including his 37-year-old wife Nicoletta Mantovani.The couple married in 2003 following an acrimonious divorce from Adua, his wife of 37 years. Nicoletta became pregnant with twins but their son Riccardo was stillborn. Their surviving daughter Alice is now four years old.The 280lb black-bearded singer helped bring opera to the masses and performed to vast stadium audiences round the world. He also sang with pop stars such as Sting and Bono in his "Pavarotti and Friends" charity benefits.Already famous in the opera world, he leapt to superstardom when he and two other tenor greats, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, sang Nessun Dorma at Rome's Caracalla Baths during the 1990 soccer World Cup in Italy.Carreras said: "It's a great loss. He was without doubt one of the most important tenors of all time. He was a wonderful man, a charismatic person. And a good poker player."Paying tribute to his friend, Domingo said: "I always admired the God-given glory of his voice - that unmistakable special timbre from the bottom up to the very top of the tenor range."I also loved his wonderful sense of humour and on several occasions of our concerts with Jose Carreras - the so-called Three Tenors concerts - we had trouble remembering that we were giving a concert before a paying audience, because we had so much fun between ourselves."Prime Minister Gordon Brown's spokesman said: "The Prime Minister believes Mr Pavarotti was an outstanding opera singer, perhaps the greatest of his generation."He added: "He inspired many people to turn to opera and enjoy opera and anybody who remembers the glorious summer of 1990 will remember his voice as the soundtrack of that summer."England captain during the 1990 World Cup, Peter Shilton, said Pavarotti's rendition added an extra dimension to what was a very special tournament.He said: "The song he sang really touched everybody. He was a tremendous singer and it is very sad that he has died. Every time when games are on TV they always play that theme music and that time comes flooding back."And Elton John, who sang the duet Live Like Horses with Pavarotti in 1996, also expressed his sorrow, adding: "It's a sad day for music and a sad day for the world."A proud Italian, Pavarotti had a long and happy relationship with Britain, once describing it as "one of the most important countries for me".He formed an unlikely but close friendship with Diana, Princess of Wales, and was so upset at her death he turned down an invitation to sing at her funeral."He was one of those rare artists who affected the lives of people across the globe, in all walks of life," London's Royal Opera House at Covent Garden said in a statement."Through his countless broadcasts, recordings and concerts, he introduced the extraordinary power of opera to people who perhaps would never have encountered opera and classical singing. In doing so, he enriched their lives. That will be his legacy."Vienna's opera house flew a black flag to mourn "a human being who had an extraordinary impact through his art and who gave endlessly to his audience," director Ioan Holender said.Pavarotti's funeral will be held in Modena on Saturday.© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.

ITN | September 6, 2007

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