Luciano Pavarotti, who passed away Sept. 6, 2007, was buried Saturday afternoon in his hometown Modena, Italy.
The singers and celebrities that filled Luciano Pavarotti's life paid tribute to the Italian tenor at his funeral on Saturday, Sept. 8. Andrea Bocelli performed "Ave Verum"; Premier Romano Prodi of Italy, U2 singer Bono, and former UN secretary general Kofi Annan were among the 700 guests at the Modena, Italy cathedral. Thousands more watched the funeral from a big screen in the piazza outside the cathedral. The service featured a 1978 recording of "Panis Angelicus," which Pavarotti had sung with his father nearly 30 years ago in that very same building. Among the world figures to commemorate Pavarotti's passing was Pope Benedict XVI, who praised Pavarotti's contribution to "the divine gift of music."
Diagnosed with cancer over a year ago, Pavarotti's battle with declining health ended on Thursday, Sept. 6. His body was viewed from Thursday evening until the funeral on Saturday. After the ceremony, his body was placed in the Montale Rangone cemetery, where his parents also lie.
For more information, please read the Boston Globe article.
