Luciano Pavarotti was farewelled by 50,000 mourners in his hometown of Modena on Saturday.
A traditional Catholic mass was held in the town's cathedral, amid such dignitaries as former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, and Italian film director Franco Zeffirelli.What was originally intended as a private family farewell turned into a virtual state funeral, with fighter jets leaving a trail of green, white and red smoke as the tenor's casket was carried from the cathedral to the strains of 'Nessun Dorma'.
Bulgarian soprano Raina Kabaivanska opened the service with a stirring rendition of Verdi's 'Ave Maria', whilst Andrea Bocelli performed Mozart's 'Ave Verum Corpus'.
Remembering his performances in aid of suffering in Iraq, Sarajevo and Kosovo, Prime Minister Prodi remembered Pavarotti as someone who "made music an instrument for life and against war. It's true that Luciano Pavarotti wanted to be remembered above all as a great opera singer, but we want to pay homage also to his great humanity."
