born Oct. 12, 1935, Modena, Italy
Italian tenor.
He started out as a schoolteacher, beginning his vocal training only in his 20s. He made his professional debut in 1961, then debuted at La Scala in 1965 and at the Metropolitan Opera in 1968. He retained the beautiful tone and thrilling high notes that his audiences loved into his 60s, nurturing his broad appeal by recording many light pieces in addition to the traditional Italian repertoire in which he specialized. The most famous male classical singer of the late 20th century, he came to personify the Italian tenor worldwide.