Many, many people all over the world could not hold back their tears, although everyone knew that the great tenor was seriously ill. He fought bravely against pancreatic cancer. Much, too much this figure meant for fans of opera, music lovers, the inhabitants of his hometown of Modena and for everyone, everyone, everyone ...

It is now clear: this was one of the great singers and the most beautiful voice of the twentieth century. A stormy life full of successes, an amazing career (Pavarotti sang for almost forty years), somewhat overshadowed in recent years by risky "forays" into the field of light music, and a controversial personal life ...

Luciano Pavarotti was born on October 12, 1935 in Modena, one of the important centers of the Emilia region. The son of a baker who had a good tenor and sang in a church choir, Luciano was infected with a passion for music from childhood. His fate could be considered predetermined, although he grew up as a normal boy: in addition to singing, his hobby was football. But unlike Pope Fernando, fate has endowed Luciano with the most beautiful, most silvery, hottest and most charismatic voice imaginable.

Pavarotti did not study at the conservatory: a fact that critics reproached him throughout his career. He studied with tenor Arrigo Pola, who taught him a technique that can be recognized as the only one and allowed him to preserve the beauty of timbre and top notes for many decades, and then with Ettore Campogallani, who “repelled” his wonderful voice, initiated him into the secrets of phrasing and interpretation. Luciano made his debut on April 20, 1961 at the Reggio Emilia Theater, as Rudolph in Bohemia- she will become one of his favorite and "iconic" roles.

The young tenor was successful: invitations to auditions in London, Amsterdam, Vienna, Zurich followed. Four years later, Pavarotti made his debut in America, in Lucia di Lammermoor... His partner was the legendary Joan Sutherland. But the time of the Pavarotti Phenomenon came on February 17, 1972, when he played Tonio at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Daughters regiment and so bravely, brilliantly and without the slightest effort, he “nailed” nine ultra-high “C's” in the famous aria that the audience burst into endless applause. Seventeen challenges “sanctified” the most amazing career of the twentieth century.

From that moment on, Pavarotti's life was spent in the most prestigious theaters in the world, surrounded by the most famous conductors and the most renowned colleagues. He sang under the direction of Abbado, Bernstein, Karajan, Levine, Meta, Maazel, Muti, and his stage partners were Mirella Freni (by the way, also a native of Modena and even his foster sister), Montserrat Caballe, Renata Scotto, Joan Sutherland, Leontyne Price , Shirley Verrett, Fiorenza Cossotto, Piero Cappuccilli, Cheryl Milnes. With two other famous tenors, Placido Domingo and José Carreras, he had a personal and artistic friendship. His voice sounded on all continents, not only within the walls of theaters, but also in stadiums and grandiose open areas such as Hyde Park in London or Central Park in New York. Do not count the Grammy awards and gold and platinum discs awarded to him.

Alas, not all honey is in the life story of this unique singer. In his youth, Pavarotti was physically attractive: in the history of music, a huge fat man will remain, wiping the continuously flowing sweat with a handkerchief. Not only his love for the delicacies of his native land, the wines of Lambrusco, tortellini and dzampone led him to a significant completeness, but also the Lucullus dinners that followed the performances, a passion for sweets and bulimia of a neurotic character. Already in the seventies, Pavarotti's weight reached 150 kilograms. It cannot be said that his physical appearance aroused enthusiasm in himself: he did not tolerate full-length appearances on the screen, preferred close-ups.

Around him there was a semblance of a court, like a king's: it is enough to remember a certain Thomas, a former German sergeant, who was responsible for the ritual of the Maestro's appearance on the stage (“the distance from the wings is eight meters and not one more”), for the stools he needed, for the mineral water, for a buffet with salmon tartins, cheese, ham and plenty of fruit ... And then women, many women. Pavarotti loved to surround himself with women: at such moments he looked like a sultan. There is a movie Yes Giorgio!(failed at the box office), where Pavarotti appears as a kind of caricature of an Italian tenor with only food and women in his head.

Among his shortcomings was a lack of memory: as a result, he did not strive to learn new roles. “Big Luciano” (“Big Luciano”) loved three of them madly: Nemorino in Love drink, Richard's Masquerade ball and Rudolph in Bohemia... His interpretations of these games are unlikely to be surpassed by anyone. The performance of roles in the operas by Bellini and Donizetti, in such operas by Verdi as Lombards, Ernani, Rigoletto, Troubadour, La traviata... In the best years of his career, which were immortalized by the recording director Decca, the art of Tenorissimo won the hearts of connoisseurs and opera lovers not only thanks to the magical beauty of the voice, but also to its amazing control over the vocal apparatus, purity of intonation, distinctness of diction and subtlety of phrasing.

However, in terms of musicality and especially acting talent, Pavarotti was inferior to Placido Domingo - first to a rival, then to a friend. With his appearance, it was difficult to reincarnate. In the roles of Nemorino and the Duke of Mantua, Rudolph and Cavaradossi, Manrico and Calaf, he was above all himself: charming, smiling, undeniably kind and infectious optimism. Recognized voice connoisseur Elvio Giudici said of him: "After all, Big Luciano has always interpreted himself."

By the early 1990s, Luciano Pavarotti's creative alliance with two other famous tenors, Placido Domingo and José Carreras, dates back to. For the first time, they performed together in Italy, in a concert dedicated to the World Cup. Arias and songs performed by them still evoke nostalgic sighs. Thanks to them, opera arias, until then known only to music lovers, became world hits, like Calaf's arias Nessun dorma from Puchchini Turandot, better known as Vinceró- the final word of the aria, in which Tenorissimo shone with the unique beauty and sonority of the upper B. Amazing thing: The commercial success of the Three Tenors' live CDs and videotapes surpassed that of Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones!

At the same time, the beginning of performances in large concerts in open areas, which brought Pavarotti even more fame than the performance of operatic parts, began. In Hyde Park, he gathered 150 thousand spectators, and even the incessant rain did not prevent his tremendous success. In 1993, five hundred thousand people gathered for a Pavarotti concert in Central Park, and a million watched the tenor's performance on television. And in September of the same year, three hundred thousand gathered under the canopy of the Eiffel Tower, and all for the sake of Big Luciano!

From 1992 to 2003, the great tenor organized a charity show in his native Modena. Pavarotti & Friends (Pavarotti and Friends), collecting famous rock and pop stars and performing in duets with them. This new area of ​​his activity caused a feeling of embarrassment among specialists. Pavarotti & Friends contributed to the even greater popularity of the singer (they were regularly broadcast by the Italian TV company RAI), not to mention the number of people who were helped by the funds raised, but singing songs in the company of Sting, Zucchero, Lucho Dalla, Andrea Bocelli, etc., etc. NS. led to the fact that the operatic aria began to sound in Pavarotti like some kind of pop hit, and vice versa ...

For a long time, the personal life of the Maestro was in the center of attention of newspapermen. His marriage to Adua Veroni, from whom three daughters were born, Christina, Juliana and Lorenza, lasted thirty-five years. Signora Adua played a huge role in the fantastic success of Pavarotti. Rumors of a crisis in relations between the Pavarotti spouses began to circulate in 1993, and three years later newspapers posted a photo of the tenor in the company of his young (thirty-five years younger) secretary Nicoletta Mantovani. In March 1996, the Pavarotti couple filed for divorce by mutual consent. But this was only the beginning of the battle in court, which the wife arranged for the singer, who demanded half of his fortune. Public opinion has always been on her side. The divorce followed on July 4, 2000, and this story, which brought its participants a lot of suffering and enduring feelings of bitterness, was inseparable from another sad story: tax evasion. In the end, Big Luciano made peace with the tax authorities and paid: they say the figure is 25 billion lira (about 13 million euros).

From the union of Tenorissimo with Nicoletta on January 13, 2003, twins Riccardo and Alice were born, unfortunately, the boy died. And on December 13 of the same year, Pavarotti was finally able to officially connect with the adored Nicoletta: Lucho Dalla and Jose Carreras were among the guests. In recent years, the former secretary has always been by his side: knowledgeable people said that this angel Maestro had the head of a manager. The opinion that in singing a duet with rock and pop stars and, as a result, in the fall of Pavarotti's reputation, there is a share of her fault, has never been refuted.

Luciano Pavarotti's official career ended on May 11, 2002 when he had to refuse to participate in Toske on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera. But warning “calls” began nine years earlier: at the end of his career, the Maestro began to sing “depressingly monotonous”, forgot the words, and later stopped paying attention to the orchestra and partners, canceled the events in which he agreed to participate and immediately “lit up” on others ...

Immediately after the death of the great tenor, which followed at five o'clock in the morning on August 6, 2007, newspapers began to shout about the "crisis between Pavarotti and Mantovani" and about the "detective connected with the inheritance." Lydia La Marca, wife of Leone Majer, long-term accompanist Pavarotti and first husband of Mirella Freni, gave an interview to the newspaper La Stampa, in which she quoted the singer's statements in the last weeks of her life: “Nicoletta tortures me, makes me live alone, does not let my friends come to me, speaks badly about my daughters, surrounds me with people I don't like. She constantly thinks about money, brings me papers to sign ... ”. And a true cry from the heart: "Either I shoot myself, or divorce her." Mirella Freni claimed that in the last period of his life Pavarotti became close to his first wife: “He often called her. Luciano asked me to help him see her, arrange a meeting ... They saw each other three times, in the house in Salichet Panara, where they lived together for many years. "

As for the inheritance, Pavarotti's fortune reached $ 200 million, not counting the Europa 92 complex (restaurant, arena, farm, apartments), the Villa Giulia estate on the Adriatic coast, in Pesaro, apartments in New York with windows overlooking Central Park, apartments in Monte Carlo. The singer drew up a will on June 13, 2007: according to Italian law, 50% was intended for four daughters (in equal parts), 25% for his wife and the remaining 25% the testator could have as he pleased. At first, it was said that Pavarotti intended the remaining 25% for the same Nicolette, except that he left five hundred thousand euros each to two of his loyal employees. The names of the latter were not named, but, most likely, it was about his assistant Tino and about his secretary Veronica.

In the last weeks of his life, Pavarotti posted on his website on the Internet a request to remember him as an “Opera tenor” (just like that in the original, with a capital letter, “un tenore d’Opera”). As if he foresaw that his popularity as a partner to pop stars could allow the media to remember him as “rockettaro” ... We remember him as he was: a truly outstanding personality, endowed with immense charisma and the ability to communicate with the public, not alien to human weaknesses , a man who made many mistakes, but endowed with the kindest heart and gave millions of people the happiness of discovering music and enjoying it.

Strange coincidences: Pavarotti died in the year that marks 50 years since the death of Beniamino Gigli, and 25 since the death of Mario Del Monaco. Balzac said: "Chance is God."

Little Luciano studied music from an early age. The baby began to give his first concerts in front of neighbors and relatives at the age of 4. Later, together with Father Luciano, he sang in the church choir. At home, the boy constantly listened to the records of opera singers from his father's collection, and at the age of 12 he first came to the opera house, where he heard the performance of the tenor Benjamin Geely. While still at the Schola Magistrale school, the young man took several vocal lessons from Professor Dondi and his wife.

In addition to singing, Luciano played football and even seriously thought about a career as a goalkeeper. But after receiving a diploma of secondary education, the mother convinced her son to study to be a teacher. After completing his professional education, Luciano Pavarotti worked as a primary school teacher for two years. At the same time, Luciano began to take lessons from Arrigo Paul, and two years later from Ettori Campogalliani. After making the final decision to pursue a vocal career, Pavarotti left school.

Music

In 1960, after laryngitis, Luciano received an occupational disease - thickening of the ligaments, which led to the loss of his voice. Pavarotti, having experienced a fiasco on stage during a concert in Ferrara, decided to leave music, but a year later the thickening disappeared, and the tenor's voice acquired new colors and depth.

In 1961, Luciano won the International Vocal Competition. The first prize was awarded to two singers at once: Luciano Pavarotti and Dmitry Nabokov. Young vocalists received roles in Puccini's La Bohème at the Teatro Reggio Emilia. In 1963, Pavarotti made his debut at the Vienna Opera and London's Covent Garden.

Luciano Pavarotti's success came after the performance of the role of Tonio in Donizetti's The Daughter of the Regiment, with which the tenor performed first at the Royal Theater in London, Covent Garden, and then at the Italian La Scala and the American Metropolitan Opera. Pavarotti set a kind of record: he sang 9 high notes "C" in a row at full power in Tonio's aria with impeccable ease.

The sensational performance changed Pavarotti's creative biography forever. The impresario Herbert Breslin signed a contract with the new star of the operatic horizon, who began promoting the tenor in the best theaters in the world. Since 1972, in addition to performing in performances, Pavarotti begins touring with recitals, which include classical opera arias, Italian songs and concons.

In addition to the parts of the lyric tenor Elvino in Somnambula and Arturo's Puritans by Bellini, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti, Alfred in La Traviata and the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto by Verdi, Luciano Pavarotti also masters the dramatic roles of Bicale Masquerade "by Verdi, Cavaradossi in" Tosca "by Puccini, Manrico in" Troubadour "and Radames" Aida "by Verdi. The Italian singer often appears on television, participates in the Arena di Verona festival, makes recordings of famous opera arias and popular songs "In Memory of Caruso", "Oh sole mio!"

In the early 1980s, Luciano Pavarotti founded The Pavarotti International Voice Competition. Over the years, with the winners of the competition, the stage star goes on tour across America and China, where, together with young talents, the singer performs fragments from the operas La Bohème, Love Potion and Masquerade Ball. In addition to his concert activities, Pavarotti collaborates with the Vienna Opera and the Teatro alla Scala.

Luciano's performance in the opera "Aida" is accompanied each time by long ovations and repeated raising of the curtain. But not without failures: in 1992, in the play "Don Carlos" by Franco Zeffirelli, which was staged at La Scala, the audience booed Pavarotti for playing the role. The tenor himself admitted his own guilt and did not perform in this theater again.

A new round of international recognition of the Italian tenor took place in 1990, when the BBC company made the screen saver for the broadcast of the World Cup with the aria "Nessun Dorma" performed by Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras. The video for the video was filmed in the Roman imperial baths of Caracallah. The circulation of sold records became the largest in the history of music, which is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records. The Three Tenors project was so successful that the singers performed at the opening of the next three World Football Championships.

Luciano Pavarotti popularized opera. His recitals attracted up to half a million spectators who came to listen to the tenor live in Central Park in New York, in London's Hyde Park, on the Champ de Mars in Paris. In 1992, Pavarotti created the Pavarotti and Friends program, in which, in addition to opera singers, pop stars Elton John, Sting, Brian Adams, Andrea Bocelli, Lionel Richie, James Brown, Celine Dion, Sherrill Crow participated. In 1998, Luciano Pavarotti received the Grammy Legend.

Personal life

While still in school, Luciano met his future wife Adua Veroni, who was also fond of singing. Together with Luciano, the girl went to work as a teacher in a rural school. Young people were able to get married in 1961, as soon as Pavarotti began earning money on his own on the opera stage. In 1962, the couple had a daughter, Lorenz, in 1964 - Christina, in 1967 - Juliana.

The marriage with Adua lasted 40 years, but Luciano's constant infidelities forced his wife to file for divorce. During his musical career, Pavarotti met with many singers. The most famous novel of the 1980s was his relationship with his student Madeleine Reni. But at the age of 60, the tenor met a girl who gave Luciano a second life.

The young lady's name was Nicoletta Montovani, she was 36 years younger than the maestro. In 2000, after a divorce from his first wife, Pavarotti proposes to Nicoletta and builds a spacious mansion for the new family. In 2003, the couple had twins - a son, Ricardo and a daughter, Alice, but the newborn boy soon dies. Pavarotti gives all his strength to raising a little daughter.

Death

In 2004, Luciano was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The artist, having weighed all the possibilities, decides to conduct the last farewell tour of 40 cities of the world. In 2005, the disc of the singer The best was released, which included the best numbers ever performed by Pavarotti. The last performance of the great tenor took place on February 10, 2006 at the Turin Olympics, after which Pavarotti went to the hospital for an operation to remove cancer.

Luciano's condition improved, but in August 2007 the singer suffered pneumonia. Returning home to Madena, the artist passed away on September 6, 2007. The death of the maestro could not leave his fans indifferent. For three days, while the coffin with the body of Luciano Pavarotti stood in the cathedral of his hometown, people walked around the clock to say goodbye to the idol.

Discography

The Essential Pavarotti - 1990

Pavarotti & friends - 1992

Dein ist mein ganzes Herz - 1994

Pavarotti & friends 2 - 1995

The Three Tenors: Paris - 1998

Christmas with Pavarotti - 1999

The Three Tenors Christmas - 2000

Together with his father, Luciano sang in the city choir of Modena.

At the request of his parents, after school, Luciano went to work as a primary school teacher. After father and son Pavarotti as part of an amateur group took part in the choir festival in Langollen (Wales, UK) and were awarded the highest award, Luciano decided to become a singer and began to improve vocal technique under the guidance of professional bel canto Arrigo Paul, who lived in Modena. ... Then he studied vocals in Mantua with the famous teacher Ettore Campogalliani.

Pavarotti's creative career began with a victory at the International Vocal Competition in Reggio Emilia in 1961. In the same year he made his debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini (Teatro Reggio Emilia). This role defined the successful career of the young singer, opening the doors of the world's leading theaters for him.

In 1966, Pavarotti made his debut at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan (as Tybald in Vincenzo Bellini's Capulet and Montague).

Tonio's role in Gaetano Donizetti's Daughter of the Regiment, performed first at London's Covent Garden in 1966 and then at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1972, brought Pavarotti international fame and the title of King top to ". He became the first tenor in the history of opera to sing all nine high c's in the aria Quel destin.

In the Montale Rangone cemetery near Modena, in the family crypt.

Luciano Pavarotti has been married twice. He met his first wife, Adua Veroni, as a teenager. They were engaged for seven years and married in 1961. Three daughters were born in the marriage - Lorenza, Christina and Juliana.

The singer's second wife in 2003 was Nicoletta Mantovani, who worked as his secretary. She was 34 years younger than Pavarotti. In this marriage, a daughter, Alice, was born.

In 2015, two Pavarotti museums were opened in Italy. One of them is located in Modena, in a house built by "Greater Luciano" a few years before his death. Visitors have access to 12 rooms located on four floors. In Milan, on the fourth floor of the famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a "Museum Restaurant" dedicated to Pavarotti was opened.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007) - Italian opera singer, philanthropist, participant of the Three Tenors project. He became the first tenor in the world to perform flawlessly all nine high C notes in the Quel destin aria. For this he was nicknamed the king. The artist spent more than 40 years on stage, since 1966 he was a soloist of the legendary La Scala Theater.

He also regularly gave master classes at conservatories around the world. Even those people who are not fond of opera have heard at least one of the works of this legendary musician. Pavarotti's solo concerts attracted up to 500 thousand spectators. He helped young talents all his life, and also collaborated with the Red Cross organization.

Family and childhood

The future king was born on October 12, 1935 in the Italian city of Modena. His father Fernando was a baker, but he devoted all his free time to singing. It was he who instilled in his son a love of music from early childhood. In the evenings, they listened to records of famous performers - Enrico Caruso, Toto Skipa and Beniamino Gigli. Fernando himself could have become a professional singer, but stage fright, coupled with a complex character, prevented.

Luciano's mother, Adele Venturi, supported her beloved men in everything. She worked in a cigarette factory. The family did not live well, but later the tenor remembered his childhood with warmth. He enjoyed spending time with his parents and sister Gabriella. At the age of four, he gave his first concerts in front of family and friends.

Pavarotti was the only little boy in a house of 15 apartments, so he regularly attracted the attention of neighbors. He often climbed onto the kitchen table and sang arias from operas at the top of his voice. Some people liked his singing, but more often the neighbors were tired and asked to stop the noise. During his school years, Luciano began to attend the choir, later he was sent to vocal courses with Professor Dondi.

There were other hobbies in the boy's life. He loved to play football and even considered becoming a goalkeeper. Pavarotti was the captain of the city's youth team, skillfully inspiring the players and setting them up for victory. Peers loved the young man for his cheerful and strong character.

Moving and changing interests

In 1943, due to the war, the family had to move to the village. There they lived in a small room, worked daily on the farm. Despite his early rises and an abundance of work, Luciano enjoyed his new life. At the age of 12, he first attended a performance by Beniamino Gigli at the opera house. The teenager was impressed to the point that all other hobbies receded into the background.

After leaving school at Schola Magistrale, Pavarotti was still thinking about pursuing a career in sports. But his mother convinced him that it was more respectable and interesting to be a teacher. As a result, the young man began to teach children music. He did not like his work, sometimes he had to shout at violent schoolchildren, breaking his voice. But it was precisely two years at school that helped Luciano understand that he only wanted to study singing.

In 1954 the musician left the educational institution. He begins performing in the Coral Rossi choir with his father. Fernando was not impressed by his son's talents, so he advised him to get a "serious" profession. As a result, the men of the Pavarotti family agreed that the father would help his son financially until the age of 30. After that, Luciano will have to provide for himself by any means. In 1955, the choir in which he performed won first place in a competition in Wales.

Musical career

One day, Arrigo Paul accidentally got to a tenor performance. He was impressed by his voice and hearing, so he agreed to work out for free with the young talent. After some time, Arrigo moved to Japan for good. Luciano leaves for another famous teacher, Ettori Campogalliani. He managed to take the best from all the vocalists, while maintaining his own original style of performance.

Until 1961, Pavarotti studied vocal, constantly improving his skills. In parallel with this, he worked in the insurance industry, gave several free concerts in small towns. In 1961 he won an international competition at the Teatro Reggio Emilia and later became a soloist in La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini.

But soon after that, the singer fell ill with laryngitis. The result of the disease was thickening of the ligaments, leading to loss of voice. At a concert in Ferrara, the musician could not perform his part and was determined to quit singing. But after two years, he completely recovered from the failure, and the thickening miraculously resolved. After the illness, the tenor's voice became even deeper and more soulful. This is what led him to success.

In 1963, Pavarotti's first solo concert took place in Ireland. Two years later in Miami, he met Joan Sutherland, replacing another famous tenor. The singer was delighted with the timbre and manner of singing, she offered him a joint tour. In two months, our colleagues have toured 40 cities with concerts.

In 1968, the musician performed at the New York Opera Metropolitan. The audience applauded him so hard that the curtain had to be raised 160 times. This moment is captured in the Guinness Book of Records. After a stunning performance, which forever secured the nickname "King" for the singer, he signs a contract with Herbert Breslin.

Incredible success

Since 1972, Luciano regularly goes on tour with recitals, although he does not forget about the opera. His repertoire included Italian songs and endings, numerous classical arias. Pavarotti's performances were often shown on television, he became a media personality. In 1974, the artist visited Moscow for the first time.

In 1980, Rigoletto was staged in a New York park. It was broadcast to 200 thousand listeners around the world. A few months later, the tenor decided to found an international vocal competition. The winners were given the opportunity to sing a duet with the star in Philadelphia, Beijing and Modena. They also toured together in China and America, performing excerpts from famous operas.

In 1984, the musician performed in front of Princess Diana, after which a friendship struck up between them. Luciano was very upset about the death of his girlfriend, he even refused to sing at her funeral.

In 1990, he gained popularity among fans of pop culture thanks to the BBC. Its representatives made the screen saver for the broadcast of the world championship with Pavarotti's performance with the aria Nessun Dorma. During the final match, there was a joint performance of the "three tenors" - Luciano, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. The record was sold in millions of copies, it broke all records.

In the next three championships, the singers performed together again. In total, the team existed for 15 years. During this time, the musicians managed to popularize opera, launch a kind of renaissance of this genre. The tenors took the liberty of making a modern treatment for the classics. They were often criticized, but it was the new arrangements that made people listen to opera music again.

In 1992, Pavarotti's last opera performance took place. Spectators and critics criticized his singing in the play "Don Carlos", the musician no longer appeared in the theater. He devoted a lot of time to his new project "Pavarotti and Friends". Until 2005, the artist traveled around the world with famous colleagues - Sting, Celine Dion, Brian Adams, Andrea Bocelli, Lionel Richie and other musicians. The money raised from the concerts was donated to charity. In 1998, the singer received a Grammy Legend award.

Personal life

The tenor met his first wife back in 1955. At first sight he fell in love with the aspiring opera singer Adua Verone, in 1961 they got married. It was this woman who made Luciano seriously think about a career in opera. In 1962, their daughter Lorenza was born, later two more girls were born - Christina and Juliana.

Pavarotti could not become an exemplary father and spouse. He found out about the birth of his daughters by phone, and missed significant dates due to parties with colleagues. The woman endured everything, wisely managing her husband's income. He, in turn, regularly asked her for forgiveness with the help of expensive gifts.

Among Luciano's mistresses were many famous singers. The affair with his student Madeleine Reni lasted the longest. So that his wife does not interfere with their relationship, he presented her with a bracelet worth 250 thousand dollars. The relationship with Madeleine lasted seven years, but then she unexpectedly married another man. The tenor suffered for a long time, he even tried to throw himself out of the window.

Often Pavarotti had affairs with secretaries. The last of them was Nicoletta Mantovani, who was only 27 years old. At that time, the singer was 34 years older than the chosen one, but this did not interfere with their feelings. It was because of Nicoletta that Luciano decided to divorce his wife in 1996. Only 6 years later they managed to complete this process, after which the tenor immediately married Mantovani.

In 2002, the construction of a mansion for a new family was completed, but at the same time, a streak of failures began. First, Luciano's parents died, then his wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. A year later, she gave birth to two twins, Ricardo and Alice. The boy died immediately.

In 2004, Pavarotti embarked on a farewell tour. The New York Metropolitan Opera was sold out. The audience saw off the opera singer with a standing ovation for 11 minutes. The final performance of the artist took place two years later in Turin, he opened the Olympic Games.

In 2006, the musician was diagnosed with a malignant tumor of the pancreas. She was removed, but in August 2007 Luciano returned to the hospital. He spent two weeks in a hospital with a high fever and suspected pneumonia. On September 6, the tenor died at his home. He was buried in the Pavarotti family crypt.
 

Pavarotti Luciano

Biography Pavarotti - young years
Luciano Pavarotti was born on October 12, 1935 in the Italian city of Modena, Italy.
As a child, Luciano loved most of all to catch frogs and lizards, play football - and, of course, sing. However, in Italy, as you know, everyone sings. Luciano's father brought home records of famous tenors - Gigli, Caruso, Martinelli, and together with his son they listened to them literally to the holes. Luciano climbed onto the kitchen table and shouted "Beauty's Heart" into all his lungs. In response to his heart-rending singing, no less heart-rending cries were heard simultaneously from 15 neighboring apartments: "Basta! Shut up, finally!"
Later - already at school - Luciano began to sing in the church choir. He was 12 years old when tenor Benjamino Gigli came to the local theater on tour. Luciano made his way to the theater during a rehearsal. "I also want to become a singer!" he blurted out to Gigli, trying to express his admiration in this way. Although I really wanted to become a football player.
After leaving school, he began to study vocal in Mantua with E. Campogalliani .. The greatest influence on him as a singer was the work of Caruso.
Biography of creativity.
Pavarotti's creative career began with winning the International Vocal Competition in 1961. In the same year he made his debut at the Teatro Reggio Emilia, playing Rodolfo in La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini. He performed the same role in 1963 at the Vienna Opera and Covent Garden / opera house in London /.
In subsequent years, he sang at Covent Garden Elvino in Vincenzo Bellini's Somnambula, Alfredo in La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi, Duke of Mantua in Verdi's Rigoletto. The role of Tonio in Gaetano Donizetti's Daughters of the Regiment, sung in 1966, brought Pavarotti international fame: he became the first tenor in the world to sing all nine high C's in the aria "Quel destin". After that, he was called the "King of the Upper C". In the same year, Pavarotti made his debut at La Scala in Milan, where he performed the role of Tybalt in Vincenzo Bellini's Capulet and Montague. Over time, the singer began to turn to dramatic roles: Cavaradossi in Puccini's Tosca, Riccardo in Masquerade Ball, Manrico in Troubadour, Radames in Verdi's Aida.
Biography-facts:
It is also a well-known fact in the biography of Lucian: At one of the performances at the Metropolitan Opera, Pavarotti had to raise the curtain 160 times because the audience was delighted - which was entered in the Guinness Book of Records. Another interesting moment from Pavarotti's biography: friends call "Big P". “Big” is not in the sense of “great,” but in the most literal sense. True, at the same time, Pavarotti's relatives unanimously say that he has 150 kilograms of pure charm and good nature. That is, 150 plus or minus 10. The dietary tests that fall to the lot of Pavarotti are regularly replicated in the press and, perhaps, already circulate in the category of anecdotes. Yes, Pavarotti's size is a problem for tailors and a trouble for chairs. What is worth at least singing the part of Cavaradossi in Puccini's opera "Tosca". In the second act, his hero, after being tortured, is brought into the office, and he is so exhausted that he can hardly stand on his feet and falls into a chair. Already during the rehearsals, Pavarotti looked with apprehension at this chair made of carved wood, then approached the director and quietly, so that no one could hear, said: "I think this chair will not stand me." The director assured him that there was nothing to worry about, the chair was reinforced with metal in advance. The chair really withstood the dress rehearsal. The day of the premiere came. Second act. The guards pulled Pavarotti under the arms and sat him down on a chair. Hildegard Behrens, who performed in the part of Tosca, had to approach her lover and hug him. But she got into the role so much that she ran across the stage and threw herself on his neck. What happened after that never happened on the stage of the Grand Opera: the chair collapsed with a crash, Pavarotti-Cavaradossi crashed with it, and Tosca also landed on top. "Why am I eating so much?" - Luciano answered the eternal question of the correspondents. - Firstly, I am Italian. Secondly, I come from Modena - the city of gluttons. "What can you do - it's in his style: to settle a nutritionist in the house and pay him enormous sums for every day, and then, as soon as he crosses the threshold, rush into the kitchen and empty refrigerator. "I am the heaviest rapper in the world" - this is how the great tenor commented on his performances with pop and rock stars: Zucchero, Sting, Brian Adams, Irish band "U2". Recordings of concerts "Pavarotti and Friends" were distributed throughout the world.

Biography Pavarotti - mature years
The Second World War forced the family to leave the city in 1943. Over the next year, they rented a room on a farm in a nearby village, where Pavarotti became interested in farming. He began his serious studies in 1954 at the age of 19 with Arrigo Pola, a respected teacher and professional tenor in Modena.
In 1961 he married Aude, he also won the international competition for young singers at the Teatro Reggio Emilia and in the same year made his debut as Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini's La Boheme.
1966 - debut at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan (role of Tybalt in Capulet and Montague Bellini).
1966; 1972 biennium - Tonio's role in Donizetti's Daughter of the Regiment (Covent Garden Theater, then on the stage of the New York Metropolitan Opera) brought international fame and the title of King of the Upper C.
In 1970-1980, Pavarotti often appeared on television, gave recitals and performed in mixed concerts, gathering hundreds of thousands of listeners in stadiums and parks. On his 70th birthday, the maestro made a farewell tour of 40 cities of the world, which included St. Petersburg, where he gave a concert A night to remember at the Ice Palace.
In 2006, he underwent surgery to remove a malignant tumor of the pancreas. On August 8, 2007, he was admitted to a clinic in Modena with suspected pneumonia and spent two weeks there.
Luciano Pavarotti died on September 6, 2007 at his home in Modena.

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