Luciano Pavarotti Dies Today

Luciano Pavarotti has died today at the age of 71. Friends and admirers joined in a chorus of grief as the world paid homage to the commanding voice and cheerful personality of the great tenor of Italy. Vienna State Opera raised a black flag in mourning and his northern Italian hometown of Modena, where he passed away after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, said it would name the city’s theater after its native son.

Newscasts and Web sites across the globe, from Israel to the U.S. to Europe, led with news of his death. Radio stations aired his unmistakable recordings in tribute to his memory.

“The whole world will be listening today to his voice on every radio and television station. And that will continue. And that is his legacy. He will never stop,” said conductor Zubin Mehta, who directed Pavarotti in Rome and Los Angeles for his “Three Tenors” concerts with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras.

“I always admired the God-given glory of his voice — that unmistakable special timbre from the bottom up to the very top of the tenor range,” Domingo said in a statement from Los Angeles. “They threw away the mold when they made Luciano. He will always be remembered as a truly unique performer in the annals of classical music.”/blockquote>