Pavarotti, Luciano << pah vah ROT tee, loo chee AHN oh >> (1935-2007), an Italian lyric tenor, was one of the most popular opera stars of the 1900’s. He won fame for the warmth and flexibility of his voice, the security of his high notes, and the intense feeling in his singing.
Pavarotti concentrated mostly on Italian operas and songs. He won fame for his performances in such roles as Rodolfo in La Boheme, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, and the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto. In the late 1970’s, he began to perform more dramatic roles, including Mario in Tosca and Manrico in Il Trovatore. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, his frequent appearances on TV and in operas and concerts on videocassettes increased his fame. Also during the 1990’s, Pavarotti and tenors José Carreras and Plácido Domingo gave a number of enormously popular concerts throughout the world, called “The Three Tenors.” In 2004, Pavarotti retired from opera.
Pavarotti was born on Oct. 12, 1935, in Modena, Italy. He made his professional debut in Reggio nell’ Emilia, Italy, in 1961 as Rodolfo, and his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1968 in the same role. Pavarotti collaborated with the American author William Wright on two autobiographies, Pavarotti: My Own Story (1981) and Pavarotti: My World (1995). Pavarotti died on Sept. 6, 2007.
