His vibrant high C's and ebullientshowmanship made him one of theworld's most beloved tenors. For seriousfans， the unforced beauty in his voice made him theideal interpreter of the Italian lyric repertory，especially in the 1960s and 1970s when he firstachieved stardom. For millions more，hischarismatic performances of standards like Nessundorma from Puccini's Turandot came to representwhat opera is all about.