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Luciano Pavarotti

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Pavarotti singing "Nessun Dorma" at the Turin Olympics in 2006

Though he didn't actually appear in "The Mirror Has Two Faces," Luciano Pavarotti's best known aria was used to punctuate the climax of the film's story. Pavarotti passed away on September 6, 2007.

"Mirror" Finale Featured Tenor's Aria
Sep 8, 2007 - Luciano Pavarotti, one of the greatest tenors of all time passed away on September 6 at the age of 71. He was laid to rest today in his home town of Modena, Italy. Pavarotti's passing is the second of two opera greats we have lost within the past two months. Acclaimed soprano Beverly Sills died this past July.

The robust Pavarotti is credited with reinventing his art form by popularizing opera for the masses. He was a fan favorite in New York who played the Met countless times throughout his career. His free concerts in Central Park would draw thousands to the Great Lawn. In short, Pavarotti was a rock star. He was instrumental in firmly establishing opera as a permanent element of pop culture. Pavarotti was also part of a trio of famed opera singers that became known around the globe as "The Three Tenors." Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras toured extensively throughout the '90s and became an international phenomenon. Their album, The Three Tenors in Concert is the best selling classical vocal album of all time.

Pavarotti's signature performance was Nessun Dorma from the Puccini opera, Turandot. One of his last major performances of this aria occurred during the closing ceremonies of the Turin Winter Olympics in 2006. Fittingly. Barbra Streisand chose Pavarotti's most famous piece to frame the climax of her film, "The Mirror Has Two Faces." As the characters Rose and Gregory are reconciling outside her apartment building, one of the other apartment residents is seen in his window next to a Pavarotti album, while Pavarotti's classic rendition of Nessun Dorma wafts over the pre-dawn streets of New York City. It was a great moment in the film, and a fine homage to an irreplaceable classical performer.