Oh No!

Luciano Pavarotti, the famed tenor beloved around the world, has died. In tribute, I thought I would share a couple of my memories of Mr. Pavarotti.

What memories could this chica possibly have, some of you may be thinking. In a previous life (when I was 22 & 23), I did PR for the Columbus Symphony. We hosted a gala performance with Pavarotti - I believe it was the very first performance ever at the Schottenstein Center (AKA Value City Arena) and one of the few sold-out performances the symphony has ever had.

Pavarotti was very superstitious - hated the color purple and didn't want it anywhere near him. I believe it was even in his contract that no one would wear purple. (Amy & Max, he would've hated your wedding!) One of the poor catering girls made the mistake of wearing something in a plum shade - and he had her get sent home.

He was not very mobile at the time, so he rode around backstage on a little scooter. When someone would run into him, he'd say "Beep Beep."

Another requirement in his contract was that he didn't want any pictures taken of him eating. (To be honest, can you blame him?) Unfortunately, one of our overly enthusiastic patrons didn't heed the warning and starting snapping pics of him indulging in cheesecake. Pavarotti put a napkin on his head, covering his face so no one additional pictures could be taken. He really liked the cheesecake - even asked if he could take the rest of it on the plane with him.

So that's the Pavarotti I experienced - a little bit eccentric, yes, but one of the best voices the world has ever known. The concert was amazing!