A Light Has Gone Out of the World

Luciano Pavarotti died last night of pancreatic cancer. He was 71. He died in Modena at his house, with his wife and family around him, which is how every man should die. Especially this one.

All have gifts. Every man is given a gift. Some men are given gifts so enormous that they cannot be hidden, and Pavarotti had such a gift. He was the man that gave Giacomo Puccini's music the perfect incarnation, that made it alive. Whether you like opera or not, what Pavarotti did to the music he sang is simply magical.

If you don't believe me, I invite you to listen to his supernal recording of Puccini's Nessun Dorma from the opera Turandot. That is the sound that you hear when you and your true love embrace for the first time. I once put it on my mp3 player when I went out running, and I literally had to stop when it came on, because I was weeping. It's very hard to run when you're weeping. No other piece of music has ever made me feel like that.

Don't miss out. Pavarotti was the greatest tenor that ever sang Puccini. Get a recording, a candlelit room, and some quiet surroundings. You'll thank me.