The Italian opera singer Giuseppe di Stefano died on Monday at the age of 86, according to the ANSA press agency. Before his retirement in 1992, the tenor was known as one of Maria Callas' main partners and sang for many of the world's leading conductors, including Herbert Von Karajan.
Between 1950 and 1970 he toured the world's biggest opera venues, delighting fans in Vienna, London's Covent Garden, Paris, Chicago, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro and Johannesburg. He specialised in Italian composers, and was known for his roles in Verdi's Rigoletto and Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, while also mastering Wagner, Gounod and Bizet.