LUCIANO PAVAROTTI was born in Modena, Italy, in 1935. His operatic debut in 1961 made an immediate impression on the international operatic scene, and he went on to become possibly the most celebrated singer in the world. In September 2007 he died aged 71.

WILLIAM WRIGHT is the author of several books which include biographies of Christina Onassis and Lillian Hellman, and he collaborated with Pavarotti on an earlier books, Pavarotti, My Life published in 1979.