Pavarotti says he will retire in 2005
NEW YORK (AP) — Tenor Luciano Pavarotti has picked a date to sing his last note — on his 70th birthday, October 12, 2005.
He told Connie Chung for the Tuesday edition of her CNN show, Connie Chung Tonight, that he would be busy for two or three more years and then would retire. He said he would not sing again, “not even when I’m taking the shower.”
Pavarotti, 66, cancelled his last scheduled performances at the Metropolitan Opera in May, citing an illness. He is not on the roster there for next season and did not have performances booked at any of the world’s other opera houses. His web site lists several concert arena performances throughout the rest of the year.
The Italian opera star is also known for his concerts with fellow luminaries Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, billed as the Three Tenors. One of those concerts is scheduled for Thursday in Japan, at the soccer World Cup.