In pictures: Luciano Pavarotti

San Francisco, US: Backstage at the Opera House in 1978, preparing to go on as Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca Photograph: Ira Nowinski/Corbis

Aged four with his mother Adele and his father Fernando Photograph: Collect

Pesaro, Italy: By the pool in 1967 Photograph: Collect

New York, US: With Joan Sutherland in a scene from the Bellini opera I Puritani Photograph: J Hefferman/HO

Modena, Italy: Rehearsing at home with his father in 1979 Photograph: David Lees/Corbis

San Francisco, US: Seeing things from the audience's point of view in 1979 Photograph: Ira Nowinski/Corbis

Milan, Italy: As Memorino in Elisir d'Amore at La Scala in 1979 Photograph: David Lees/Corbis

Tel Aviv, Israel: Cooking some post-concert pasta, 1979 Photograph: David Rubinger/Corbis

San Francisco, US: Reading the programme for Aida backstage before a performance in 1981 Photograph: Ira Nowinski/Corbis

Paris, France: On the set of a television programme for channel Antenne 2 in May 1983 Photograph: Gerard Rancinan/Sygma/Corbis

New York, US: A dress rehearsal of Tosca during the Metropolitan Opera's 1985-86 season Photograph: Metropolitan Opera/AP

Beijing, China: At a banquet to mark his arrival in China to perform in La Boheme, 1986 Photograph: Neal Ulevich/AP

Beijing, China: Thanking the crowd after his first recital in the city, June 1986 Photograph: Gene Del Bianco/Corbis

Modena, Italy: On stage with Eric Clapton, performing Holy Mother in June 1996 Photograph: Reuters/Corbis

Paris, France: Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras show off their football shirts during a press conference with the mayor of Paris, Jean Tiberi, to announce they would perform at the closing ceremony of the 1998 football World Cup Photograph: Michel Euler/AP

New York, US: Playing Nemorino in L'Elisir d'Amore at the Metropolitan Opera in 1998 Photograph: Suzanne Plunkett/AP

Bologna, Italy: With Mariah Carey rehearsing for a Pavarotti and Friends concert in 1999 Photograph: Giorgio Benvenuti/EPA

New York, US: The curtain call of Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera, March 2004. Pavarotti received an 11-minute ovation for his last performance in a staged opera Photograph: Jason Szenes/EPA