Weird reason why legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti 'kept secret stashes of pasta' with him during performances
Topics: Food and Drink, Music
Ben Thompson
Featured Image Credit: Brian Rasic/Getty Images/YouTube/denicares2
Topics: Food and Drink, Music
Luciano Pavarotti was famous the world over for his voice, but his large appetite was also legendary apparently.
Pavarotti, who sadly passed away from cancer in September 2007 at the age of 71, came to fame internationally in the 1970s.
His performance of La Fille Du Régiment at the Lincoln Center hall in 1972 'drove the crowd into a frenzy' and earned him his status as one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time.
But the Italian wasn't just a big voice.
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He also had a huge appetite.
Details emerged recently about his love of food - in particular Italian delicacies - during a recent tour of The Met, as reported by Page Six.
The outlet reported that according to spies, while giving a backstage tour of the Met - a favorite venue of the singer - it's director Peter Gelb told guests: "Pavarotti, who had an insatiable appetite, often kept secret caches of his favorite pasta in the wings so that he could wander off stage between arias and have a snack."
Belting out opera really works up an appetite, it would appear.
The 150kg singer was always looking to be well fed whilst touring, with him allegedly demanding mounds of pasta, Parmesan cheese and salami.
Relatable, I must say.
And for times when he wanted to cut back a little, he had a diet meal in mind.
That being chicken, beans and mashed potatoes, followed up with three scoops of ice cream. A fourth scoop would be left in the bowl.
And it wasn't just while he was working that he was prone to chowing down - even whilst on his deathbed, his mind and stomach were working in tandem.
His ex-wife came to visit him, and given that he'd left her for a woman 34 years younger, there was bound to be some awkwardness.
But Pavarotti cut to the chase and persuaded her to whip up a dish of spaghetti bolognese.
In fairness to him, as far as last meals go, that's a pretty solid choice.
It wasn't just his appetite for food that was legendary.
The tenor's manager, Herbert Breslin, described his priorities as such: "[He] loved music, women, food and football - in that order."
The 2019 documentary Pavarotti also shows footage of the singer discussing Viagra.
He said: "Sex is always good for you if your little friend asks for it. It doesn’t matter if it is before or after the show.
"The best thing would be during the show, on the only table on the stage."
I assume he'd need to move over his bowl of pasta first.