There is an eternal thundering silence. The greatest singer in the world died today. His chosen field and lifestyle matched up better than any screaming doped-up poodle-headed rock star could do. He was our kind of guy...When I was a kid, I listened to Enrico Caruso 78s that my Mom treasured...she taught me how to operate the record player when I was still a toddler...Caruso had God-given talent and a ton of soul. We thought there could never be another such voice, ever.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Caruso
Then one night I was watching PBS about 30 years ago and they had an opera on. I am not an opera guy but I'd been to several operas and symphonies when I was a kid with my Mom and Grandma. This funny little big guy comes out and proceeds to blast the rafters off the place, doing arpeggios and scales that to this day I couldn't do on a Fender Telecaster. And he did it unplugged...no mic, no PA. Just his voice. That guy was Luciano Pavarotti, the most powerful voice ever. The man himself didn't let his stature as a larger-than-life living legend go to his head...others did, but Mr. Lucky was always accessible and friendly. Nobody else came close, except in my opinion, Roy Orbison. I could go on about how sad this made me, but I'll leave it to the news media to eulogize him further. God rest, Luke. I loved you, man, from way out here. WC1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luciano_Pavarotti