Opera singer; best known for his complete mastery of the range of notes in a tenor scale. Born October 12, 1935, in Modena, Italy, to Franco, a baker, and Anna, a cigar factory worker. His father was also a gifted tenor, but did not have the confidence to pursue a career in opera. Franco encouraged his son to sing with him in the Modena opera chorus, which the boy joined at the age of five. When Pavarotti was in his teens, the chorus performed at an international music festival in Wales, winning first place. At this time, his mother encouraged him to continue his voice studies more seriously. Despite his early training, however, he originally did not plan a career in music; rather, he received a degree in education, then taught math and gymnastics from 1955-57. But in the late 1950s, he began to study opera again—first with tenor Arrigo Pola, and later with Ettore Campogalliani—classes he paid for by selling insurance. In 1961, Pavarotti won the grand prize in the Concorso International—a prestigious competition for aspiring opera stars. This pivotal career point led to his operatic debut as Rodolfo in Puccini's La Bohéme. He performed this role twice in 1963—once in Vienna, and once as the venerable Giuseppe DiStefano's understudy at the Royal Opera House in London—the latter performance firmly establishing his reputation in the opera world. He began appearing in televised opera events and travelling throughout Europe. His connections grew, and soon he was being invited to perform with the preeminent singers of his day, including Australian coloratura soprano Joan Sutherland. His debut in the United States occurred in February 1965, when he appeared with Sutherland in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. In 1968, he appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, reviving his portrayal of Rodolfo from La Bohéme—which by this time had become his signature role. His fame spread throughout Europe during the late 1960s, although it wasn't until 1972, during a performance of La Fille du Regiment, held at the Met, that his career finally took off. His role of Tonio called for an aria containing nine high Cs in a row, and Pavarotti managed them all with perfect clarity and grace—and without apparent effort—leaving an astounded audience at every performance. From this he gained the nickname, “King of the High Cs,” and he appeared soon after on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Pavarotti's first formal recital took place on February 1, 1973, in Liberty, Missouri, launching an astounding popularity that resulted in one of the highest record sales of a classical artist to date. O Holy Night (1976), also featuring artists Kurt Herbert Adler and Russell Burgess, was the first ever classical album to go platinum, selling over one million copies. Complementing his tremendous popularity, Pavarotti also gained critical praise as one of the greatest living tenors. He has won Grammy Awards for his solo albums Hits from Lincoln Center (1978), O Sole Mio (1979), and Luciano Pavarotti in Concert (1988). Throughout his career, Pavarotti teamed up for performances and recordings with some of the world's greatest talent. His collaborations in the 1990s with contemporaries Plácido Domingo and José Carreras (they were known collectively as The Three Tenors) were tremendously successful, playing to sold-out stadiums and generating bestselling albums, including the Grammy-winning Carreras, Domingo, Pavarotti In Concert (1990). Lamenting the decline of opera as a popular music form, Pavarotti founded the Luciano Pavarotti International Vocal Competition in 1980 with the intention of ensuring opera's legacy and establishing new generations of opera singers. Since the competition's inception, over 100 participants have gone on to illustrious singing careers, performing on the major opera stages of the world. Pavarotti met Adua Veroni in his late teens, and following an engagement period of seven years, they married in 1961. The couple had three daughters: Lorenza, Christina, and Guiliana. In 1996, spurred by allegations of an affair with his then 26-year-old secretary, Nicoletta Montovani (with whom he is still together), Pavarotti separated from his wife. In September 2002, he and Mantovani announced that the are expecting twins. In addition to his current schedule of recording and performances, Pavarotti leads standing-room-only master classes at numerous international conservatories. Pavarotti recently announced that he would retire from performing on his 70th birthday (2005).