Thursday, September 6, 2007

Pavarotti Has Passed Away

Today marks a day filled with sorrow, as the greatest celebrated opera singer to have lived - Luciano Pavarotti, has passed away in his home at 5am, local Italian time. This is indeed a huge loss for the music world.

Pavarotti was born in the outskirts of Modena, Italy on October 12th, 1935, and had captivated the opera world till his dying age of 71. Mention Pavarotti, and I imagine, charcoal black beard and seeing him in his famous tuxedo suit. To me, I shall remember him as a entertainer for his charismatic performances and ebullient showmanship.

The great Italian tenor, Pavarotti was indeed a talented singer renown for his vocal capabilities and humanitarian efforts along the way, when he received a medal (UN High Commission for Refugees) relating to works surrounding issues related to refugees. It is said that Pavarotti began showing his singing capabilities at a tender age of nine, when he used to sing alongside his father in their small local church choir. Pavarotti made his initial opera debut back in 1961 in his home front and it was not until February 1965, that he made his presence felt in the American shores through the Greater Miami Opera. Throughout his career, Luciano Pavarotti has released numerous musical DVD's that were outsold in weeks of their availability.

It was not till late last year when the Maestro was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer - said to be one of the most dangerous forms of the disease, which he fought all along. Pavarotti had supposedly undergone further treatments to suppress the effects of the cancer, but to no avail and finally succumbing to his illness early this morning.

The thought of losing someone special is hard to comprehend, and I am thankful to God, as HE has allowed my parents to share their love with me thus far, for I can't imagine the day, when I will face this same situation as Pavarotti's children; Lorenza, Giuliana, Cristina (from his first wife) and Alice (from his second wife), who would be feeling so much sorrow moaning the loss of their beloved father.

For the millions of his fans, the natural beauty and the vibrantly high C's of Pavarotti's voice will be greatly missed, for I have never seen another opera singer who reached out to 1.5 billion people.

May his soul rest in peace and may the heavens enjoy the beauty of his great voice.



18 comments:

Yasmin said...

That is so sad :(

I really love couple of his tracks. I know that this would definitely be a great loss for the fans of opera music, I'm sure.

Trix said...

Hello Nihal..a great and wonderful tribute to the Maestro Pavarotti! I am saddened to hear about his death,he was a genius in his field, make no mistake.I recall listening to his wonderful voice many times as a child growing up.My parents enjoyed his music immensely.I can relate to your feelings of dread about one day perhaps losing your own parents..I cannot stand thinking about that! On weekends I visit my mom and stepdad and I just hug them so close, for I never want to be without them.Still, its something most of us must face at one time or another...This post of yours reminds me again to value them and cherish them,for the fact that they are still with me is a blessing from above!!Thanks so much, Nihal...ps, I added your link, sorry it took so long! and yes, I also hope that the heavens are enjoying dear Pavarotti's awesome voice :)have a great day with your lovely family, Nihal..

NIHAL said...

Hello Yasmin,

I didn't know you loved opera, all the time I imagined you swaying away to some salsa and merengue tune or something similar? *he he he* (just kiddin)

Yes, the fans will indeed miss him dearly :(

PS : Will come by soon to catch up on those great jokes of yours :)

NIHAL said...

Hi Jesse,

Thanks, you're too kind :)

As the Buddhist say, "Life is uncertain BUT death is certain", we will all one day leave this world, and the only thing thing that will be left behind would be the memories. So I totally agree with you, "Cherish every moment we can with our loved ones, because we'll never know when that day will come to an end".

I feel really sad for his immediate family, the children especially. But you know, life has to go on, and what's important is that we always remember him for who he was..... "King of the high C's"

PS : When's the trip with the little one?

Trix said...

the trip is in a few weeks time, I am so scared as I have an aeroplane phobia,dont ask where I got it, its a new thing and totally unexpected!! I flew all the way to the states and other places a few years ago, and I had no fear, but lately I have been scared a lot, I think its all due to the sudden increase in plane accidents in south africa and world wide...still, I have to make this trip, as my daughter and her cousin never see each other, and their birthdays are on the same day so its a double party..how are things that side??Your children ok??.. :)

Mariuca said...

Nice tribute to the Master, he will be missed! Hubbs is a fan, good write up Nihal! :)

darlene said...

great post,...on a wonderful man

NIHAL said...

Hello Jesse,

Am glad that that you're gonna have a great time with your little angel, she's definitely looking forward to it.

Tell me about it, I had this one experience when I was on my way to Phuket, Thailand and this is what happened : All of us boarded the plane and sat down, but surprisingly it was so quiet and dark inside, after a while the hostess came by and informed us to exit the said aircraft and we all headed back to the boarding room. The next thing we noticed through the windows of the boarding area was that there was this huge generator with a cable going directly into the planes cockpit! OMG! These guy's were charging something in there... imagine if we were up in the sky and what if they only realized then??? I thanked my lucky stars on that day :)

Anyway that was about 11 years ago now, since then I have flown to other places as well, so don't worry too much , ya.

My kids are all doing great, and I'm glad that you asked. I really appreciate the concern. Take care and hugs to the little one :)

NIHAL said...

Hi Marzie :)

I was wondering when you would come, I was eagerly waiting for you *he he he*
So by now, you probably imagine me as an old dude who sits in his couch all day listening to opera and classical stuff??? ha ha ha

Actually I'm a lover of all sorts of music, that's why when I worked in Modestos many years ago, everytime I hear a good track, my hands would get all itchy and I'll end up behind the decks for the next couple of hours..... practically can't live without music.

The world would surely miss Pavarotti, that's for sure.

Thanks dear :)

NIHAL said...

Hello there Darlene,

Thanks for the compliment, but I think all the praises should go to the greatest tenor of all time .... Luciano Pavarotti.

This is truly a great loss :(

Thanks once again, you took the time to come, and that means a lot :)

Kim said...

ah yes Nihal
I will miss Mr Pavarotti terribly....but I will continue to paint to his wonderful music.....lovely tribute to a great man......

NIHAL said...

Hello Kim,

Ya, isn't it really sad :( I was speechless when I first heard about it.

One things for sure, his music will live forever and we shall remember him as the greatest Tenor of all time.

Thanks once again, Kim :)

Trix said...

ha ha ....Nihal, thanks for that little anecdote, but now you put the fear of living hell in me !! lol, I may never get on that plane after hearing your story! :)

NIHAL said...

Oops, I didn't mean to scare you Jesse *he he he*

The message I wanted to pass across was ... 'Don't worry too much, everything will turn out just fine'. Ever since my Ayesha was born I started believing this motto : "Everything happens for a reason, and it's always for the better... no matter how bad it seems at first" My flight was no doubt delayed for a couple of hours (that was the bad part), BUT we arrived safely (that was the good part)... enjoy the holiday, ya :)

Rolando said...

Very sad. What an amazing gift he had.

NIHAL said...

Hi there, Rolando.

It's so great to hear from you :)

Ya, isn't it sad, all the "great people" seem to always go first ?? Thank God, he left something behind that we will cherish forever :)

One Wacky Mom said...

Nihal,
I'm finally back from Maui and I'm so glad you posted this. I love Pavarotti. In fact one of my favorite memories is when I flew to see my mother and he in Pittsburgh. Now they're both dead. New picture my friend? I've missed you. Been away.

NIHAL said...

Hi there Ev,

I've missed you!!! How was the trip anyway? I read about you being away in Maui and all, but didn't know it was for so long.

What a wonderful feeling it would have been, to have seen him inperson ... now that's really something.

You probably have heaps and heaps of stories to tell us about your trip, I can't wait to read them. See you soon and thanks a million :)