Monday 23 June 2008

Tenor Giuseppe Di Stefano dies, 86

The legendary Italian tenor Giuseppe Di Stefano has died in Milan.
Di Stefano, who was 86, had suffered poor health after being attacked during a robbery at his Kenyan holiday home in 2004.
The tenor was treated for serious head injuries and went into a coma while in hospital in Milan last December.
Born in Sicily, Di Stefano made his operatic debut in 1946 and gave the late Luciano Pavarotti his big break when illness forced him out of a performance of 'La Boheme' at Covent Garden in London in 1963; Pavarotti performed as his replacement.
During his career Di Stefano made many records with Pavarotti and Maria Callas.