Born in Modena, Italy, Luciano Pavarotti learned to sing as a boy alto in a church choir and the Chorale Gioacchino Rossini, an amateur group. He began his career as a school teacher and an insurance salesman, but, after continued vocal study, he began to sing professionally in 1961. He had been performing for five years, in Europe, America, and Australia, when he achieved international fame from his performance as Tonio in La Fille du regiment at Covent Garden. Among his most famous roles are those of Rodolfo in La Boheme and Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore.
In 1982, Pavarotti appeared in an unsuccessful film, Yes, Giorgio, in which he plays an opera superstar who pursues an independent female doctor during an American tour. In 1991 the tenors Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, and Pavarotti teamed up to record In Concert, which has sold over 5 million CDs and cassettes worldwide. In Concert rose to number one on the U.S. classical charts for that year. It was also ranked number 43 on Billboard's pop charts, the highest any classical recording has climbed since rock-and-roll dominated album charts in the mid-1960s. He died on September 6, 2007 from pancreatic cancer.
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