Contemporaries, politicians and pop stars have paid heartfelt tributes to opera maestro Luciano Pavarotti, who succumbed to pancreatic cancer yesterday at his home in the Northern Italian city of Modena.
The tributes were led Pl?ícido Domingo, who remembered the "God-given glory of his voice - that unmistakable special timbre from the bottom up to the very top of the tenor range," and Jos?? Carreras who said, "the best memories are the ones in intimacy ... we have to remember him as the great artist he was, a man with such a wonderful charismatic personality."Dame Joan Sutherland, who Pavarotti credited as helping him discover the secrets of breathing, said of her friend, "It was incredible to stand next to it and sing along with it. The quality of the sound was so different. You knew immediately it was Luciano singing."
James Levine, director of New York's Metropolitan Opera, explained, "Luciano's voice was so extraordinarily beautiful and his delivery so natural and direct that his singing spoke right to the hearts of listeners, whether they knew anything about opera or not. I will never forget the sheer magic of that voice, but I will also remember the warm, generous and exuberant spirit of the man. He is, rightfully, a legend already , an artist whose recordings will be a reference for singers and opera lovers for a long time to come."
Soul diva Aretha Franklin said, "I had the pleasure of not only performing for him in tribute, but performing in his stead at the Grammy Awards in 1998, singing 'Nessun Dorma'. I had one magnificent and absolute and defining moment when he came to the stage to thank me for my performance. The world has lost one of the greatest voices of all time."
Ricky Martin, who sung with Pavarotti in support of war-torn countries such as Iraq, Kosovo and Guatemala, spoke of "his historic contribution that transcended from popular music to opera will no doubt be present in the hearts of future generations. The musical expression that he represented with so much dignity made him deserving of the world's respect and admiration."
Bono, with whom Pavarotti sung the peace anthem 'Miss Sarajevo', explained that Pavarotti "lived the songs, his opera was a great mash of joy and sadness; surreal and earthy at the same time. Even when the voice was dimmed in power, his interpretative skills left him a giant among a few tall men."
Italian prime minister Romano Prodi led his country in mourning, saying "A very great voice of the musical world and of Italy has disappeared," whilst French president Nicolas Sarkozy said, "His artistic qualities as well as his warmth and charisma seduced the entire world." British prime minister Gordon Brown remembered Pavarotti as someone who "inspired many people to turn to opera and enjoy opera."
