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Mother of Luciano Pavarotti dies at 86
The mother of Luciano Pavarotti died on Thursday at the age of 86 and the world's most famous tenor said he would dedicate his long-awaited performance at London's Royal Opera House to her memory. Adele Venturi Pavarotti died in the northern city of Modena, a spokeswoman for the singer said. She had been ill for some time and was admitted to a hospital on Thursday. Luciano Pavarotti, who was in London before his performance in Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca", immediately chartered a private plane and returned to Modena. But he promised he would fly back to London for Friday's opening. "Pavarotti thinks the last thing his mother would have wanted is for him to cancel," a spokeswoman for the singer told Reuters from London. The spokeswoman said Pavarotti returned to the family hometown of Modena to be with his father Fernando, his sister, daughters and family. She said Pavarotti and his partner, Nicoletta Mantovani, would return to London on Thursday night. "The maestro will dedicate his performance tomorrow to the memory of Adele Pavarotti," she said. Pavarotti's mother was one of the prime movers behind his decision to embark on a singing career. It was not immediately known when her funeral would be held, but Pavarotti's spokeswoman said the tenor could make another trip back to Modena during his stay in London to attend it. With his full opera appearances increasingly rare and mobility impaired by his large frame and hip and knee replacements, Pavarotti's four-night run in "Tosca" sold out virtually overnight. It has been seven years since he last appeared at the Covent Garden opera house, and British fans do not want to miss an outing which is more about catching a glimpse of Pavarotti than Puccini. Many have paid 175 pounds ($250) for the privilege. It may also be one of the last chances they have to see him as speculation has grown that Pavarotti is nearing retirement after a four-decade career. The 66-year-old tenor, credited with bringing opera to the masses through popular recordings and stadium extravaganzas, denies that his singing days are coming to an end and has scheduled 25 performances during the next six months. "I will know when my voice is ready to retire and will not go on beyond that time," Pavarotti told Reuters on Wednesday. In 1998, a scandal broke over an affair with Mantovani, his then secretary and current partner, and acrimonious divorce proceedings followed soon after.
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