Original: Luciano Pavarotti Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI ( 12 October 1935 -- 6 September 2007 ) was an Italian operatic tenor , who also crossed over into popular music , eventually becoming one of the most commercially successful tenors of all time .
Simplified: Luciano Pavarotti ( October 12 , 1935 -- September 6 , 2007 ) was an Italian tenor and one of the most popular contemporary vocal performers in the world .