Legendary Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti, who brought opera to the masses with his powerful voice and jovial personality, died on Thursday of pancreatic cancer, aged 71.

Quotes by Luciano Pavarotti, taken from his 1995 autobiography: “Pavarotti: My World,” by Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright.

“I am a very simple person. In spite of all that has happened to me, I have tried to remain the simple person I started out.”

“Every day I remind myself of all that I have been given. … With singing, you never know when you are going to lose the voice, and that makes you appreciate the time that you have when you are still singing well. I am always thanking God for another season, another month, another performance.”

“As an art form, opera is a rare and remarkable creation. For me, it expresses aspects of the human drama that cannot be expressed in any other way, or certainly not as beautifully.”

“It is not always a matter of wild ovations and legendary performances. Sometimes you are just happy to get through an opera without trouble.”

On the “Three Tenors” concert in Rome in 1990, also featuring Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras:

“For all three of us, the Caracalla concert was a major event in our lives. I hope I am not immodest to think it was also unforgettable for most of the people who were present.”

“Nothing that has happened has made me feel gloomy or remain depressed. I love my life.”