Luciano Pavarotti, The Portly Singer, Dead at 71

Sad news in the tenor world:

Famed opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti… died Thursday in Italy after suffering from pancreatic cancer, manager Terri Robson said in a statement. He was 71.  According to Robson, “The great tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, died today at 5:00 a.m. at his home in Modena, the city of his birth… The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life. In fitting with the approach that characterized his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness.”

The portly singer retired from staged opera in 2004, but was on a “farewell tour” of concerts when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006 and underwent emergency surgery to remove the tumor.  He won countless awards and honors — including five Grammies — and was named United Nations Messenger for Peace by then-Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Pavarotti is survived by his wife, Nicoletta Mantovani, and a daughter, Alice, along with three grown daughters by his first wife, Adua Veroni, whom he divorced in 2000, and a granddaughter.  According to Robson, his wife, daughters and sister, along with other relatives and friends were at his side when he died.

He will be missed.