USA: Singer Placido Domingo talks about the passing of his friend Luciano Pavarotti

Placido Domingo expresses loss over the death of friend and sometime rival tenor Luciano Pavarotti. Singer Placido Domingo called the passing of legendary Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti a huge loss. Domingo, at a news conference in Los Angeles on Thursday (September 6, 2007) said that Pavarotti was not only a great talent but a friend. Pavarotti died of cancer on Thursday at the age of 71. "Today is a sad and dark day, for the music lovers and for particularly the opera lovers," explained Domingo. "I, first of all, I want to give to his wife, his little daughter, to his daughters and ex-wife and friends, and all the people that I know and the name of Los Angeles opera and all of us, the condolences of losing a great artist and losing a great friend." Domingo and Pavarotti, along with Jose Carreras are credited with bringing opera to the masses. The three tenors and sometime rivals jumped to to superstardom when they sang at Rome's Caracalla Baths during the 1990 soccer World Cup in Italy. Sales of opera albums shot up after the concert. The aria "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's "Turandot," which has the famous line "All'alba vincero"' -- "At dawn I will be victorious" -- became as familiar to soccer fans as the usual stadium chants. "In this time, I think if it was Pavarotti alone, or Domingo alone, it wouldn't be as exciting or thrilling as happening at the same time. I think the career of Luciano was bigger because I was there as a friendly rival. I think my career was bigger because he was there also," said Domingo. Pavarotti had surgery in New York for pancreatic cancer in July 2006, then retreated to his villa in Modena. He received two more weeks' treatment in hospital in Modena last month and went home on August 25. He spent his final hours at home with family and friends by his side, said his manager Terri Robson.

ITN Source | September 7, 2007

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