Poetic, Inspirational Living

Luciano Pavarotti died on September 6th, 2007 of pancreatic cancer.

While Pavarotti was at times accused of selling out to the masses by performing with the likes of Bono and Sting and appearing in television commercials and movies, he saw these efforts as way to bring opera to new audiences, which he did. No other opera singer is a household name or has done more to make a somewhat inaccessible type of music available to everyone.

Born in the Italian city of Modena, Pavarotti’s musical talent was not fully realized until he started studying music seriously in 1954, at which point he discovered that he had perfect pitch. Pavarotti continued with his musical education, working as an elementary school teacher and then as an insurance salesman to support himself.

The first six years of study did little in terms of building his professional reputation. He performed at a handful of concerts, with no pay. During this time a nodule developed on his vocal chords and he decided to give up singing. Pavarotti claims that this decision and henceforth immediate improvement was most likely caused by the psychological release that occurred when he decided to abandon music. From then on, his career skyrocketed. His breakthrough in America occurred in 1972, in a production of Donizetti’s La filled du regiment at New York Metropolitan Opera. He achieved 17 curtain calls.

While having established himself as a serious and successful tenor in the music industry, his status as international celebrity was heightened when his rendition of Puccini’s Nessun Dorma became the theme song for the BBC’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup in 1990. This was to become his trademark song.

With his celebrity status firmly established, Pavarotti also devoted time and energy to humanitarian and philanthropic work. He annually hosted a “Pavarotti and Friends” charity concert to raise money for UN causes. He famously sang Miss Sarajevo with U2 and after the war in Bosnia ended, he established the Pavarotti Music Center in Mostar, Bosnia. Sarajevo named him an honorary citizen in 2006. In 1998 he became the UN’s Messenger of Peace and in 2001 received the Nansen Medal from the UN High Commission for Refugees for his fundraising efforts. He raised over $1.5 million, which is more than any other individual.

In 2006, Pavarotti was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent emergency surgery to remove a tumour. In August 2007 he was re-hospitalized in his hometown of Modena, for observation. Reports were released that he would be out shortly and returning to performing. He died on the morning of September 6, 2007 at his home in Modena.