別了，永遠的帕瓦羅蒂
Italian tenor Pavarotti dies at age 71
Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti, whose vibrant high C's and ebullient showmanship made him the most beloved and celebrated tenor since Caruso and one of the few opera's biggest superstar of the late 20th century, died Thursday. He was 71.
His manager, Terri Robson, told the AP in an e-mailed statement that Pavarotti died at his home in Modena, Italy, at 5 a.m. local time. Pavarotti had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and underwent further treatment in August.
"The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life. In fitting with the approach that characterized his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness," the statement said.
Pavarotti's assistant Edwin Tinoco told Sky TG 24 television that Pavarotti's final days had been calm and spent at home.
For serious fans, the unforced beauty and thrilling urgency of Pavarotti's voice made him the ideal interpreter of the Italian lyric repertory, especially in the 1960s and '70s when he first achieved stardom. For millions more, his charismatic performances of standards like "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's "Turandot" came to represent what opera is all about.
In fact, "Nessun Dorma" was Pavarotti's last performance, sung at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, in February 2006. His farewell to opera was in Puccini's "Tosca" at New York's Metropolitan in March 2004.
It was the second monumental loss in the opera world in recent months. American soprano Beverly Sills died July 2 at her home in New York. She was 78 and suffered from cancer.
"Pavarotti is the biggest superstar of all," the late New York Times music critic Harold Schonberg once said.
In his heyday, he was known as the "King of the High C's" for the ease with which he tossed off difficult top notes.
Pavarotti starred in a film called "Yes, Giorgio" and he wrote an autobiography, "I, Luciano Pavarotti."
Just this week, the Italian government honored him with an award for "excellence in Italian culture".
In his final statement, Pavarotti said the award gave him "the opportunity to continue to celebrate the magic of a life dedicated to the arts and it fills me with pride and joy to have been able to promote my magnificent country abroad."
Pavarotti had three daughters with his first wife, Lorenza, Cristina and Giuliana; and one, Alice, with his second wife.
At his side when he died were his wife, Nicoletta; his four daughters; his sister, Gabriela; his nephews and close relatives and friends, Robson said.
世界著名男高音歌唱家盧奇亞諾•帕瓦羅蒂於本週四逝世，享年71歲。帕瓦羅蒂憑藉其激昂的“高音C”及熱情洋溢的演唱成爲繼卡盧索之後最受人們愛戴和最著名的男高音歌唱家，併成爲20世紀晚期最負盛名的幾位歌劇大師之一。
帕瓦羅蒂的經紀人特里•羅賓遜通過電子郵件給美聯社發了一份聲明，稱帕瓦羅蒂已於當地時間本週四凌晨5點在意大利摩德納的家中去世。去年，帕瓦羅蒂被診斷出患有胰腺癌，並於上個月接受了進一步治療。
聲明中說：“大師與病魔進行了長期、艱苦的鬥爭，但最終被病魔奪去了生命。大師在患病期間，始終保持着他一貫的對待人生和事業的樂觀態度，直到生命的最後階段。”
帕瓦羅蒂的助手埃德文•蒂諾克向“天空TG 24”電視臺透露，帕瓦羅蒂在自己的家中平靜地度過了最後的日子。
對於專業樂迷來說，帕瓦羅蒂以他自然美妙和的令人激動的嗓音完美演繹了意大利歌劇，尤其在上世紀六七十年代，當時的帕瓦羅蒂在歌劇舞臺上一舉成名。而對於更廣大的樂迷來說，帕瓦羅蒂精彩演繹的普契尼著名歌劇《圖蘭朵》中的詠歎調《今夜無人入睡》則是對歌劇真正內涵的最好詮釋。
帕瓦羅蒂去年2月在意大利都靈冬奧會開幕式上演唱了這首《今夜無人入睡》，這也是他最後一次公開演唱。2004年3月，帕瓦羅蒂在紐約大都會劇院演唱了普契尼的《托斯卡》，由此正式告別歌劇舞臺。
帕瓦羅蒂的逝世是近幾個月來歌劇界的又一重大損失。7月2日，美國女高音歌唱家貝弗莉•希爾斯因患癌症在紐約的家中去世，享年78歲。
《紐約時報》樂評人哈羅爾德•施恩伯格曾說：“帕瓦羅蒂是最負盛名的巨星級歌唱家。”
帕瓦羅蒂在其演唱生涯的巔峯時期，憑藉着對高難度高音舉重若輕的把握被譽爲“高音C之王”。
帕瓦羅蒂曾出演過電影《卿卿佳人》，並撰寫過一本自傳《帕瓦羅蒂的世界》。
就在本週，意大利政府授予帕瓦羅蒂“意大利文化卓越貢獻”獎。
帕瓦羅蒂在最後的聲明中說，這一獎項給了他“繼續享受其藝術生命的機會”，他爲自己能將祖國的輝煌文化推向世界感到十分自豪和欣慰。”
帕瓦羅蒂與第一個妻子育有三個女兒，羅倫薩、克里斯蒂娜和古麗亞娜；與現任妻子生了一個女兒，愛麗絲。
據羅賓遜透露，帕瓦羅蒂去世時，他的妻子妮可麗塔、四個女兒、妹妹加布麗拉以及他的侄子和親朋好友都陪伴在他的身邊。
