By Mary A. Flowers

I knew of Pavarotti's acclaim after seeing his performance as Canio in Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo on the local PBS station. His characterization of Canio and his voice brought me to tears. This was considered his signature role, and most tenors would not think of attempting it. Those who did paled when compared to Pavarotti.

I had only just become an opera fan when, by a fortuitous turn of events, I obtained two tickets to the much-heralded Luciano Pavarotti appearance at Reunion Arena in Dallas. This 1984 event, sponsored by the Dallas Opera, was similar in magnitude to seeing the Beatles in concert. This was not an opera, or concert, but an "appearance." Everyone felt that surely Pavarotti would sing something. No one knew how long he would be on stage, or at what time he would appear. It was enough for all of us in the sold-out hall to be there and be able to say we had seen and heard one of the most celebrated voices of the 20th century.

A small stage sat in the center with chairs crammed together on the floor of Reunion Arena. It had the appearance of a boxing match, only without the ropes on stage. Pavarotti emerged from a side door and made his way to the stage. When the crowd realized he was coming, cheering applause erupted. As he mounted the stage, he waved a large white handkerchief to the crowd. An emcee stepped to the microphone and announced "Luciano Pavarotti" and the crowd broke into cheers yet again. There was no doubting this man's influence in bringing opera to the attention of mainstream America. Pavarotti mesmerized the crowd for the next two and a half hours. At the end, he simply waved his handkerchief and said "grazie, grazie, mille grazie."

This big Italian man with the huge tenor voice came from humble beginnings. Born in 1935 in Modena, Italy, he was the son of a baker who himself was an amateur tenor. As a child Luciano listened to opera recordings and sang along with the tenor stars. He became a teacher, but after two years decided to pursue a singing career. After beginning his studies in music, his breakthrough came in 1961 when he won an international competition at the Teatro Reggio Emilia. He sang many roles in opera houses all over Europe and Australia before coming to the United States in 1968. His first US performance was at the Metropolitan Opera, singing with childhood friend, Mirella Freni, in "La Boheme."

 From the late 1960's until well into the 1980's, Pavarotti enjoyed the limelight as he wowed audiences worldwide. He was often referred to as "The King of the High C's." His career began to decline after 1988 and he was