Mourners bid farewell to Pavarotti before funeral

MODENA, Italy, Sep 7 (Reuters) Thousands of mourners filed past the open coffin of Luciano Pavarotti in the cathedralof his Italian hometown today, bidding farewell to the tenor whose death prompted emotional tributes from around the world.

The doors of Modena's ancient cathedral opened at dawn to allow saddened fans a last look at Pavarotti before his funeral tomorrow.

The rotund, bearded opera star, who died yesterday at the age of 71, was dressed in a black tuxedo, hands folded on his stomach and holding a white handkerchief -- a favourite prop during his recitals -- and a rosary.

Wreaths of flowers stood at the head of the coffin.

''He brought to the world everything that is good about this town: simplicity, honesty and happiness,'' said Luigi Febbrano, a 51-year-old court clerk waiting outside the 12th-century church.

Pavarotti, one of the finest tenors of his generation who brought opera to the masses, died after a long fight with pancreatic cancer.

Condolences flooded in from around the world, with US President George W Bush and Russia's Vladimir Putin joining opera singers Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras in praising the voice and the man.

''The world at your feet,'' read the headline in a local paper in Modena, the town where Pavarotti was born into a humble family -- his father a baker, his mother a cigar factory worker -- and which he never forgot despite his stardom.

Pavarotti spent his final days in his villa near Modena, where he also owned a restaurant and gave lessons for the local music school even in the final months of his illness.

BROUGHT THE HOUSE DOWN His gilded voice and huge personality touched millions of television viewers around the world through concerts with pop stars like Sting and Bono, his ''Pavarotti and Friends'' benefit concerts and the celebrated ''Three Tenors'' concert with Domingo and Carreras in Rome during the 1990 soccer World Cup in Italy.

Sales of opera albums shot up after the concert and the aria ''Nessun Dorma'' from Puccini's ''Turandot'' has became as familiar to soccer fans as the usual stadium chants.

Pavarotti had surgery for cancer in New York in July 2006, then retreated to Modena where he had two weeks' treatment in hospital last month before going home for the last time.

He spent his final hours at home with family and friends by his side, said his manager Terri Robson. She told Reuters that Pavarotti's family wanted the funeral to be private, but the ceremony is likely to be high profile as celebrity friends and fans are due to flock in from around the world.

MAESTRO'S FAREWELL Blind Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli is expected to sing the hymn ''Panis Angelicus'' -- ''bread of angels'', often performed by Pavarotti -- in the church service which is scheduled for 1830 hrs tomorrow. Other celebrities have also offered to give the maestro a musical send-off.

The world of soccer -- Pavarotti's enduring passion from his youth, when he dreamed of a football career -- will pay homage on his funeral day as well.

The Italian and English national teams will play his recording of ''Nessun Dorma'' before their respective Euro 2008 fixtures against France and Israel tomorrow.

The Italian air force's aerobatic squadron will fly over the cathedral when Pavarotti's coffin is borne out for burial and the church service will be broadcast live on national television and on giant screens for crowds outside.

The tenor's final resting place will be the Montale Rangone cemetery near his villa, where his parents and his stillborn son Riccardo are buried.

Pavarotti leaves three daughters from his first marriage, who are now in their 40s, and a four-year-old daughter by his much younger second wife, Nicoletta Mantovani.

The atmosphere was sombre at Modena cathedral as mourners of all ages passed slowly by the coffin, some stopping to kneel in the pews and pray, others signing memorial books outside.

But a black-and-white picture of a smiling Pavarotti watched over the mourners to remind them of the singer's bonhomie and legendary fondness for the good things in life.

''He loved tortellini, zampone, Lambrusco...'' said mourner Diomira Rossi, reeling off a list of the Italian dishes and wines that contributed to Pavarotti's monumental girth.

REUTERS SLD RK1630