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| Thousands mourn tenor Pavarotti | |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Family and friends of the late opera singer Luciano Pavarotti have gathered for his funeral in the cathedral of his home town Modena in northern Italy. | Family and friends of the late opera singer Luciano Pavarotti have gathered for his funeral in the cathedral of his home town Modena in northern Italy. |
| Among the mourners are the tenor's second wife Nicoletta Mantovani and stars including U2's Bono and tenors Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. | Among the mourners are the tenor's second wife Nicoletta Mantovani and stars including U2's Bono and tenors Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. |
| The service will culminate in a fly-past by the country's air force. | The service will culminate in a fly-past by the country's air force. |
| Pavarotti, who died on Thursday aged 71, will be laid to rest in the cemetery close to his home in Modena. | Pavarotti, who died on Thursday aged 71, will be laid to rest in the cemetery close to his home in Modena. |
| The singer will be buried in a private ceremony alongside members of his family, including his parents and stillborn son, Ricardo. | The singer will be buried in a private ceremony alongside members of his family, including his parents and stillborn son, Ricardo. |
| Thousands of people are watching the invitation-only service on a huge television screen erected in Modena's main piazza, where a recording of the tenor's most famous works had been playing during two days of public viewing. | |
| The traditional Roman Catholic requiem mass is attended by Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi and celebrated by Modena's Archbishop Benito Cocchi. | |
| U2's Bono and his wife Ali Hewson are among the guests It began with a moving rendition of Verdi's Ave Maria by Bulgarian-born soprano Raina Kabaivanska, also a resident of Modena who had worked with Pavarotti. | |
| Pavarotti's white maple casket, covered in his favourite sunflowers lies before the altar, with his wife Nicoletta Mantovani, looking on. Sitting nearby are Pavarotti's three daughters from his first marriage. | Pavarotti's white maple casket, covered in his favourite sunflowers lies before the altar, with his wife Nicoletta Mantovani, looking on. Sitting nearby are Pavarotti's three daughters from his first marriage. |
| Loud applause | Loud applause |
| Blind Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will also sing Panis Angelicus, a hymn performed at the cathedral by Pavarotti with his father Fernando in 1978. | Blind Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will also sing Panis Angelicus, a hymn performed at the cathedral by Pavarotti with his father Fernando in 1978. |
| Pavarotti's family expressed a desire for a private ceremony, but with the attendance of fans, celebrities and politicians, it has the feel of a state occasion. | Pavarotti's family expressed a desire for a private ceremony, but with the attendance of fans, celebrities and politicians, it has the feel of a state occasion. |
| Pavarotti had been suffering from pancreatic cancer | Pavarotti had been suffering from pancreatic cancer |
| Thousands of people are gathered outside the cathedral for the funeral. | Thousands of people are gathered outside the cathedral for the funeral. |
| Also at the funeral is the Italian film-maker Franco Zeffirelli and players from Italian football team Juventus, which Pavarotti supported. | Also at the funeral is the Italian film-maker Franco Zeffirelli and players from Italian football team Juventus, which Pavarotti supported. |
| The Italian and English football teams are to play Nessun Dorma before their respective Euro 2008 qualifying matches on Saturday - against France and Israel - as a mark of respect to the late singer. | The Italian and English football teams are to play Nessun Dorma before their respective Euro 2008 qualifying matches on Saturday - against France and Israel - as a mark of respect to the late singer. |
| The Italian air force's Frecce Tricolori display team will create the green, red and white of the country's flag when it passes over Modena cathedral as the tenor's coffin is brought out at the end of the service. | The Italian air force's Frecce Tricolori display team will create the green, red and white of the country's flag when it passes over Modena cathedral as the tenor's coffin is brought out at the end of the service. |
| Thousands of mourners have been paying their respects to the singer who had been lying in state since late on Thursday evening. | Thousands of mourners have been paying their respects to the singer who had been lying in state since late on Thursday evening. |
| Pavarotti's coffin had been carried into the cathedral by nine pall bearers, with his second wife Nicoletta Mantovani following behind. | Pavarotti's coffin had been carried into the cathedral by nine pall bearers, with his second wife Nicoletta Mantovani following behind. |
| There was loud applause from hundreds of people who had gathered in the square to show their appreciation. | There was loud applause from hundreds of people who had gathered in the square to show their appreciation. |