15 interesting facts about Luciano Pavarotti
- Luciano Pavarotti (12 October 1935 – 6 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor, who also crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most commercially successful tenors of all time.
- In 1989, the Lyric Opera of Chicago banned Luciano Pavarotti from the stage, because of his well-known habit of canceling at the last minute for booked performances.
- Pavarotti began his professional career as a tenor in 1961 in Italy.
- In 1982, Luciano Pavarotti starred in the movie "Yes, Gorgio". His role as Georgio earned him two Razzie nominations for Worst Actor and Worst New Star in 1983.
- Luciano gained worldwide fame for the brilliance and beauty of his tone, especially into the upper register.
- Luciano Pavarotti served as the musical guest on the popular late night NBC series, Saturday Night Live, in 1998.
- To pay for voice lessons, Luciano Pavarotti once sold insurance.
- During his career, Luciano Pavarotti performed a total of 379 times at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. His final performance at the Met was the 2004 production of Puccini's Tosca.
- Luciano Pavarotti made his operatic debut at the Reggio Emilia Theater as Rodolfo in Giacomo Puccini's "La Boheme." That same year, he won the prestigious Concorso Internazionale.
- Celebrity beyond the world of opera came to Pavarotti at the 1990 World Cup in Italy with performances of Puccini's Nessun Dorma from Turandot.
- One of Pavarotti's early supporters (and key figure in his overall success) was the incredible soprano, Dame Joan Sutherland.
- Luciano Pavarotti won his first Grammy award in 1978 for Best Classical Vocal Soloist Performance.
- Luciano was one of "The Three Tenors" and became well-known for his televised concerts and media appearances. Pavarotti was also noted for his charity work on behalf of refugees and the Red Cross, amongst others.
- Did you know that Luciano Pavarotti was an equestrian expert? He organized the Pavarotti International, an international show jumping circuit competition.
- His final performance in an opera was at the Metropolitan in March 2004.
