Luciano Pavarotti

About Luciano Pavarotti

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, his entire stage repertoire is available on record, and he also sold millions of copies of his solo albums of opera arias, traditional music, and holiday favorites. Pavarotti died from pancreatic cancer at his home in 2007. ~ Jason Ankeny