By DPA
Rome : Luciano Pavarotti, one of the most famous opera stars of the 20th century, died Thursday at his home in Modena, Italy, his manager said. Pavarotti was 71.
The tenor had battled pancreatic cancer for more than a year, and his death followed reports that his health had worsened overnight. Pavarotti had lost consciousness several times, the ANSA news agency had said, citing people close to the singer.
He was hospitalised last month for a lung infection but allowed to leave Aug 25 after two weeks of care.
The Italian “tenorissimo” underwent surgery last year in New York for a pancreatic tumour and has since been living a quiet life with his family in Modena.
He was born Oct 12, 1935, in Modena and harboured early dreams of a career in football before he turned to music.
In 1961, he made his opera debut in Reggio Emilia in the role of Rodolfo in La Boheme, the work that would also see him take the stage for the first time at Milan’s La Scala in 1966.
In the past 45 years, he performed in all the major opera houses in the world, but his last public performance was at the Turin Winter Olympics in February 2006, five months before he underwent his cancer surgery.
He extended his fan base and renown beyond the opera house, however, particularly through his benefit concerts Pavarotti and Friends, in which he performed with international rock and pop stars.