Italian opera legend Luciano Pavarotti died early Thursday at the age of 71, Italian news agency AGR reported.
The singer, who made his opera debut in 1961, went on to become one of the world's most famous tenors. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in July 2006, and underwent surgery.
In August, Pavarotti was hospitalized with a fever in his hometown of Modena, in north Italy.