Monday, September 10, 2007

King of the High Cs Is Dead at 71


The music world lost one of its greats last week. Italian singer Luciano Pavarotti whose vibrant high C's and ebullient showmanship made him one the world's most beloved tenors, died early Thursday Sept. 6, 2007, at his home near Modena, in northern Italy. He was 71. His extraordinary talent, coupled with a larger-than-life persona, transcended the opera stage. His ringing and pristine sound set a standard for operatic tenors of the postwar era. His voice and smile was a fixture in soccer stadiums, concert halls and Olympic ceremonies for a generation.

The Three Tenors

‘I think it's an enjoyment; I don't think it's a job. It's not a profession; it is an enjoyment. I'm telling you the truth’
-Luciano Pavarotti

‘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’
-Placido Domingo

‘The best memories are the ones in intimacy. We have to remember him as the great artist he was, a man with such a wonderful charismatic personality’
-Jose Carreras