Since this is a top news story, I can merely direct you to http://news.yahoo.com without having to provide a direct link. For the next day or so anyway, you will be able to find the obit/bio.
What can I say about this vocal virtuoso that has not already been said? Even a non-opera buff like myself could appreciate the clarity and richness of his tenor and I am sure he will be widely missed.
But I wanted to drive home the point about losing Pavarotti, at a relatively young age, to pancreatic cancer.
Here is a link with medical info for the curious and concerned.
One of the most deadly forms of the disease, the pancreatic variety has only a ten percent survival rate. A diagnosis is almost always an early death sentence. Several members of Jimmy Carter's family have also been stricken.At the bottom of the page are teh details.
Consequently, sufferers and their loved ones are desperately hoping that a new administration will open the spigot for funding of stem cell research. This is an area in which we see great promise, and it particular means a great deal to those who are coping with a disease that otherwise has such a dismal prognosis.
My cockeyed optimism is taking over a bit here, but perhaps the loss of a great artist like Pavarotti will revive the passion in the stem cell debate and inspire new political support. To me, it is astonishing that something like this wouldn't be BEYOND politics.