Luciano Pavarotti

Luciano told Opera News in 1998 that he began singing in 1961.

In interviews Mr. Pavarotti could turn on a disarming charm, and if he invariably dismissed concerns about his pop projects, technical problems and even his health, he made a strong case for what his fame could do for opera itself.

Both of Luciano Pavarotti's autobiographies were written with William Wright.

Luciano's Pavarotti: My World was published in 1995. It was his second autobiography.

Mr. Pavarotti's first autobiography was published in 1981, entitled Pavarotti: My Own Story.

Luciano published two autobiographies.

Mr. Pavarotti had a home in Manhattan but also maintained ties to his hometown, living when time permitted in a villa in Santa Maria del Mugnano, outside Modena.

Ms. Mantovani survives Mr. Pavarotti a daughter, Alice.

Luciano married Ms. Mantovani in 2003.

Luciano left Adua Veroni to live with his 26 year-old assistant, Nicoletta Mantovani.

Mr. Pavarotti has three daughters from his first marriage: Lorenza, Christina and Giuliana.

Luciano filed for divorce from his first wife, which was finalized in October 2002.

Adua Veroni is the name of Luciano's first wife.

Around 1997 Mr. Pavarotti left his wife of more than three decades.

When Luciano announced he could not or would not learn his part for a new Forza del Destino at the Met in 1997, the house substituted Un Ballo in Maschera, a piece he was ready to sing.

Luciano cheerfully admitted to using cue cards as reminders. Words were always a problem to him.

Luciano was accused of 'shamelessly coasting' through a recital, using music instead of his memory, and still losing his place by Anthony Tommasini in a review for The New York Times, 1997.

At a Met gala with two other singers in January 1998, Mr. Pavarotti became lost in a trio from Luisa Miller despite having the music in front of him. He complained of dizziness and withdrew.

At a Turandot performance at the Met in 1997, extras onstage surrounded him and helped him up and down steps.

Mr. Pavarotti's health became an issue in the late 1990s. His mobility onstage was sometimes severely limited because of leg problems.

Mr. Pavarotti holds two spots in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Luciano holds a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for the best-selling classical album of all time, held jointly with Mr. Domingo and Mr. Carreras.

Mr. Pavarotti's first Three Tenors album is the best-selling classical album of all time.

The first Three Tenors album was named Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti: The Three Tenors in Concert.

In 2001 Mr. Pavarotti was lauded by the Kennedy Center Honors.

Luciano was granted Freedom of the City of London in 2005 for his fund-raising concerts for the Red Cross.

Also in 1997 Luciano joined Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney on a CD tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales.

Luciano joined Sting in 1997 for the opening of the Pavarotti Music Center in war-torn Mostar, Bosnia.

In the 1990s, hardly a week passed without his name appearing in at least two gossip columns. He could be found unveiling postage stamps depicting old opera stars or singing in Red Square, Moscow.

Luciano also gave master classes, many of which were shown on public television in the United States.

High among the prizes for winners of Luciano Pavarotti's voice competition was an appearance in a staged opera in Philadelphia in which he would also appear.

Luciano established a voice competition in Philadelphia in 1981 and was active in its operation. Young, talented singers from around the world were auditioned in preliminary rounds before the final selections.

His recordings with London Records included L'Elisir d'Amore, La Favorita, Lucia di Lammermoor and La Fille du Régiment by Donizetti; Madama Butterfly, La Bohème, Tosca and Turandot by Puccini; Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, La Traviata and The Requiem by Verdi; and scattered operas by Bellini, Rossini and Mascagni.

Mr. Pavarotti had a series of recordings with London Records.

Luciano came to the Metropolitan Opera in 1968, singing with Mirella Freni in La Bohème.

Mirella Freni was Luciano's childhood friend.

Mr. Pavarotti made his first appearance at La Scala in Milan in 1967. He participated in a performance of the Verdi Requiem under Herbert von Karajan.

Mr. Pavarotti credited Ms. Sutherland's advice, encouragement and example as a major factor in the development of his technique.

Mr. Pavarotti's had a turning point in his career during his association with the soprano Joan Sutherland. He joined the Sutherland-Williamson company on an Australian tour in 1965, during which he sang Edgardo to Ms. Sutherland's Lucia.

In 1964 Luciano sang at the Glyndebourne Festival, playing the part of Idamante in Idomeneo by Mozart. His reputation grew even more in Britain.

Also in 1963, Luciano had his Covent Garden debut when he substituted for Giuseppe di Stefano in La Bohème.

Luciano's international career started in 1963 when he played Edgardo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor in Amsterdam and other Dutch cities, later in Vienna and Zurich.

Luciano's first breakthrough came in 1961, when he won an international competition at the Teatro Reggio Emilia. He made his debut as Rodolfo in Puccini's 'Bohème' later that year.

Luciano's first teachers were Arrigo Pola and Ettore Campogalliani.

Luciano followed studies that led to a teaching position. He met his future wife during these students days.

As a child, while listening to opera recordings, Luciano would sing along with tenor stars of a previous era, like Beniamino Gigli and Tito Schipa. He would also imitate the image of Mario Lanza before a mirror.

Luciano's father was a baker and an amateur tenor; his mother worked at a cigar factory.

Mr. Pavarotti was scheduled to sing two performances of Tosca at the Met in 2002, one of them was a gala concert with prices as high as $1,870 a ticket. Luciano arrived in New York only a few days before, barely in time for the first dress rehearsal. On the day of the first performance, which was on a Wednesday, he had developed a cold and withdrew.

Lyric's general director declare Luciano 'persona non grata' at her company in 1989 due to a series of cancellations at Lyric Opera of Chicago. He was withdrawn from 26 out of 41 scheduled dates.

During a 1992 appearance, Luciano was booed off the stage at La Scala.

Mr. Pavarotti was caught lip-synching a recoded aria at a concert in Modena, his hometown.

Unlike some opera singers who upgrade their vocal range by practicing, Luciano had the natural range of a tenor, exposing him to the stress and wear that ruin so many tenors' careers before they have barely started.

All together, Luciano sang 379 performances at the Met. 357 of them were in fully staged opera productions.

Luciano retired from Met's roster in 2004, which was celebrated with a string of 'Tosca' performances. At the last of them, which was on 13 March 2004, he received a 15-minute standing ovation and 10 curtain calls.

In the early 1990s Luciano began staging for Pavarotti and Friends charity concerts. He performed with rock stars like Elton John, Sting and Bono.

Throughout these years, despite his busy and vocally demanding schedule, Luciano's voice remained in unusually good condition well into middle age.

Luciano recorded a song entitled 'I Hate You Then I Love You' with Celine Dion in 1997. The song was featured in Celine's Let's Talk About Love album.

When Luciano was singing one of his favorite roles, Tonio in Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment at the Metropolitan Opera, high notes sometimes failed him.

Luciano planned to spend his final years performing in a grand worldwide farewell tour, which began in 2004. He only completed about half the tour. His physical states limited his movement on stage and regularly forced him to cancel performances.

Luciano joined the Three Tenors projects by the 1980s, along with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras. First they took part in concerts associated with the World Cup and later in world tours.

Luciano was nicknamed 'King of the High Cs'.

Luciano died of pancreatic cancer. After his surgery for the cancer in New York (July 2006) he had made no public appearances. In summer 2007 he was hospitalized again and released on 25th of August.

Luciano died at his home near Modena, in Northern Italy on 6 September 2007. He was 71 years old.

Luciano holds the Guiness record for the most curtain calls; at 165.

Luciano was 6 feet and a half inch tall.

Luciano was a school teacher for two years before deciding to become a tenor in 1961.

In August, 2007, Pavarotti spent several weeks in hospital in Modena, Italy. He underwent tests and received treatment for pancreatic cancer. He had surgery for the cancer in 2006.