Thousands Pay Respects to Pavarotti

Bono, Kofi Annan plan to attend tenor's funeral tomorrow

By Zach Samalin, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 7, 2007 5:53 PM CDT

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Thousands Pay Respects to Pavarotti — People pay their respects to late Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti in Modena's Duomo where he lays in state, northern Italy, Friday, Sept. 7, 2007. Pavarotti, whose vibrant singing and ebullient showmanship made him a beloved and celebrated tenor, and one of the few opera singers to win crossover fame... (Associated Press)

Thousands lined up today to pay respects to opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti at the cathedral in his hometown of Modena, Italy. Though the tenor's family wants a private funeral tomorrow, an international array of celebrities and fans–among them Bono, Andrea Bocelli, and Kofi Annan–are planning to attend, Reuters reports. The tenor died of cancer yesterday at age 71.

Presidents Bush and Putin both sent their condolences, as did Pavarotti's
"Three Tenors" compatriots, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. The trio's legendary "Nessun Dorma" will play before Italian and English soccer matches tomorrow. "I hope St. Peter welcomes you with Parmesan and a bottle of Lambrusco, ice-cold as you like it," said one friend. (More Luciano Pavarotti stories.)

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