Luciano Pavarotti (Biography)

As a boy, Pavarotti enjoyed local fame as a member of the town's soccer team, and first sang in the chorus with his father, a fine amateur tenor and devoted opera buff.

When the chorus won first prize in an international competition, the young singer’s career began.

His solo debut came in 1961, portraying Rodolfo in a performance of 'La Boheme' at the opera house in Reggio Emilia. Early success led to engagements throughout Italy and eventually Amsterdam, Vienna, Zurich and London.

Pavarotti's American debut came in February 1965, in a Miami production of 'Lucia di Lammermoor', but the Pavarotti phenomenon began in earnest in 1972, during a performance of 'La Fille du Regiment', at New York's Metropolitan Opera. After his effortless completion of an aria containing nine high Cs, the audience erupted in prolonged applause, and his stardom was secured.

In 1977, Pavarotti reprised the role of Rodolfo for the premiere episode of the long-running 'Live at the Met' television series, going on to appear in over a dozen broadcasts from the Lincoln Centre. His entire stage repertory has been recorded, and he has sold millions of copies of his solo albums of opera arias, traditional music, and holiday favourites.

Pavarotti's live performances have included many stadium dates, as well as other attention-grabbing spectacles. Some of his greatest success has been achieved in the company of Placido Domingo and José Carreras, performing as the Three Tenors. Their most famous collaboration must surely be 'Nessun Dorma', the theme for the 1990 football World Cup in Italy.

However, his career had not been without occasional difficulties. He earned a reputation as "The King of Cancellations" by frequently backing out of performances, and his unreliable nature led to poor relationships with some opera houses. In 1989, the Lyric Opera of Chicago severed their 15-year relationship with the tenor after he cancelled 26 out of 41 scheduled appearances at the venue over eight years.

Arguably no other opera singer in music history has achieved the same level of international celebrity as tenor Luciano Pavarotti. He received Kennedy Centre Honours in 2001 and currently holds two Guinness World Records: for receiving the most curtain calls - 165 - and for the best selling classical album.

However, the performer was also been beset with a number of health problems. In 2005, he underwent neck surgery to repair two vertebrae, before he contracted an infection a year later while in the hospital receiving back surgery.

Pavarotti was then diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July 2006, five months after his last performance. He had not made any public appearances since then. In 2007 he started chemotherapy treatment, but was then admitted to hospital in August that year with a fever.

He died at his home in Modena on 6 September 2007. He was 71.