Italian opera star, Luciano Pavarotti died today at the age of 71. Luciano Pavarotti’s death came after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Word came from his longtime manager, Terri Robson, who told the AP in an e-mailed statement that Pavarotti died at his home in Modena, Italy, Thursday, at 5 a.m. local time.

He lost consciousness yesterday and his kidneys stopped functioning. 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.

The death of Luciano Pavarotti has shocked the world as he was loved by many people in all countries.

This famous Italian tenor was born in Italy in 1935. He came from a hard working family as his father was a baker and his mother worked in a cigar factory. Luciano Pavarotti was a very good soccer player and eventually became a school teacher before going into a life long career singing opera. He was an opera tenor, one of "The Three Tenors" along with Placido Domingo and José Carreras

Luciano Pavarotti died in a hospital in Milan, Italy. He had been released from the hospital on August 25 after two weeks of tests.