News of the death of Luciano Pavarotti reverberated out from his home town of Modena Thursday, as tributes poured in from Italy's top officials and world leaders.
Italian President Giorgio Napolitano was one of the first to remember the man who brought opera into millions of homes.
He called Pavarotti "one of the best-loved ambassadors for our country's musical tradition, (who) conveyed to mass audiences not only the unequalled voice of our musical heritage but the image of our temperament and human warmth".
Italian Premier Romano Prodi, who will attend Pavarotti's funeral in Modena on Saturday, said the tenor "brought to the world the authentic artistic image of our country".
Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli called Pavarotti a "giant of the 20th century" who "leaves a void which cannot be filled for all those who appreciate great Italian music".
Outside Italy, US President George Bush added his voice to the "world's mourning" for "one of the most acclaimed opera singers of all time" and "a great activist for humanitarian causes".
Bush said he and his wife Laura "join with his admirers worldwide in mourning this loss".
Russian leader Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Napolitano calling Pavarotti's death "a great loss, not only for Italy but also for world culture as a whole".
He asked the Italian president to extend "the deepest condolences to Pavarotti's family on my behalf and that of millions of Russian citizens".
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Pavarotti "inspired many people to approach opera and appreciate it" while French President Nicolas Sarkozy called him "the best incarnation of the great popular tenor after Enrico Caruso" and Spanish Premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said he was "saddened" by his death.
VATICAN STRIKES DIFFERENT NOTE.
On a different note, Vatican daily l'Osservatore Romano called Pavarotti "an extraordinary opera singer enthralled by the siren call of popular success".
As he "rode the tiger" of popularity, Pavarotti "stooped to recitals that were sometimes beneath the level of his art," it added.
Pavarotti was a lifelong fan of Italian soccer giant Juventus which posted a farewell message on its website saying: "Ciao Luciano, black-and-white heart" referring to the team's famous stripes.
Juve and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said "Italy has lost a Number One".
Back in New York, mourning drapes were put on the curtains of the Metropolitan Opera, scene of some of Pavarotti's greatest triumphs.
The Met's musical director, James Levin, said "few singers in history will have Pavarotti's huge impact and popularity with the public".
"Pavarotti's golden voice will ring out as long as the Met exists," said General Manager Peter Gelb.
Flags flew at half-mast on opera houses in Salzburg and Vienna.
Earlier, Pavarotti's death flashed across the Internet on the websites of the BBC, CNN, New York Times, Le Monde, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, al-Jazeera, the New China agency, Russia's News.ru.com and even sites in countries like India where opera is not very popular.
In opera-mad Russia, Moscow's top independent radio station Radio Eco broke with its no-music policy to broadcast Pavarotti arias.
The Israeli media also played famous Pavarotti arias while in France Le Monde's site offered 'O soave fanciulla' from La Boheme with Mirella Freni and Le Figaro played him singing Schubert's Ave Maria.
