Luciano Pavarotti, widely regarded as the world's finest living tenor, passed away this morning at his home in Italy.

Pavarotti had been battling pancreatic cancer since 2006, and was hospitalized in August of this year as a result of ongoing struggles with the disease.

Known as the 'King of High Cs,' Pavarotti popularized opera and classical music more than any of his contemporaries, particularly in the U.S., bringing the genre to the forefront of American minds and hearts with the Three Tenors performances alongside Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. He also shared the stage with Elton John, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Sting and Bono of U2 during the course of his career.

"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."

"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," Pavarotti's manager, Terri Robson, said in a statement to the Associated Press.