Luciano Pavarotti, one of the world's most beloved tenors, died today, his manager said.

In an email statement Terri Robson said Pavarotti, 71, died at his home in Modena, Italy, this morning.

Pavarotti, known for vibrant high Cs and ebullient showmanship, had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and underwent further treatment in August.

"The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life. In fitting with the approach that characterised his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness," Robson said.

For serious fans, the unforced beauty and thrilling urgency of Pavarotti's voice made him the ideal interpreter of the Italian lyric repertory, especially in the 1960s and 70s when he first achieved stardom.

For millions more, his charismatic performances of standards like Nessun Dorma from Puccini's Turandot came to represent what opera is all about.

In fact, Nessun Dorma was Pavarotti's last performance, sung at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, in February 2006. His last full-scale concert was in Taipei in December 2005.

It was the second monumental loss in the opera world in recent months. American soprano Beverly Sills, 78, whose widespread popularity mirrored Pavarotti's, died on July 2 at her home in New York. She also suffered from cancer.

Pavarotti was instantly recognisable from his charcoal black beard and tuxedo-busting girth. He radiated an intangible magic that helped him win hearts in a way Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras - his partners in the Three Tenors concerts - never quite could.

''I always admired the God-given glory of his voice - that unmistakable special timbre from the bottom up to the very top of the tenor range,'' Domingo said in a statement from Los Angeles.

''I also loved his wonderful sense of humour and on several occasions of our concerts with Jose Carreras - the so-called Three Tenors concerts - we had trouble remembering that we were giving a concert before a paying audience, because we had so much fun between ourselves.''