MODENA (Italy), Sept 7: Thousands of mourners, many in tears, filed past the open coffin on Friday of legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti in his hometown Modena, as Italy proudly saluted the passing of its adored opera superstar.

The heavy doors of Modena’s ancient cathedral opened at dawn to allow the crowds who had queued outside to enter and view the coffin, in which the singer’s body lay in a black dinner jacket, his hands crossed at his chest over an ivory rosary.

Hailed by many as the greatest tenor of his generation, Pavarotti, 71, died early on Thursday at his villa near this northern Italian town after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.Some of the mourners wept as they passed the coffin, while others took heart that the singer’s struggle with illness was finally over.

“Of course I am very emotional,” said Modena resident Luciana Capitani.

“But at the same time his face seemed so natural, so normal, it was almost as

if he was sleeping.” “We have really lost a great man,” said another neighbour Pietro Bocchio.

“His place in history is assured.” Pavarotti’s wife, Nicoletta, who was at the cathedral, wept as the public arrived to pay homage to the opera singer.

The public will be admitted until Saturday morning, ahead of the funeral scheduled for 1300 GMT the same day, with Prime Minister Romano Prodi among those expected to attend.

Italian newspapers on Friday paid fulsome tribute to the man whose enormous crossover celebrity had turned him into a global superstar with an appeal far beyond the confines of classical opera.

“The world cries for its most famous Italian as an era ends,” said the Corriere della Sera which, like most dailies, devoted several pages to reviewing the singer’s life and career.

La Stampa offered a similarly proud homage, describing Pavarotti as the world’s “best known, best loved” Italian.

“Farewell Luciano, your voice lives on,” added the Roma daily Le Messaggero.

Pavarotti — known in his prime for the opulent clarity of his voice and ability to hit high Cs with ease — broke into the opera world when he won a competition in 1961.

He hit a truly global audience when his performance of the aria “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini’s “Turandot” was chosen as the theme music for football’s 1990 World Cup finals, held in his native Italy.

He sung Nessun Dorma during his last major performance, at the opening of the Winter Olympics in Turin in February 2006.

The heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, sent a personal message of condolence on Friday to Pavarotti’s family, saying the world would seem “an emptier place” without him.“His unique gifts, which brought such joy and inspiration to millions, will ensure that his remarkable contribution to the world of music will never be forgotten,” Charles said.—AFP