Domingo, Pavarotti did not have a final farewell

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Spanish tenor Placido Domingo said on Thursday he never got to give a final goodbye to Luciano Pavarotti, believing his "friendly rival" would overcome the cancer that claimed the life of the opera star.

Domingo told a news conference he also would not be able to attend Pavarotti's funeral in Italy on Saturday because of rehearsals for a performance of Verdi's "Requiem" in his capacity as general director of the Los Angeles Opera.

Pavarotti, hailed by many as the greatest tenor of his generation, died at his home in Modena, Italy, on Thursday of pancreatic cancer. He was 71.

Domingo, 66, said the two last spoke about eight days ago, after Pavarotti had been released from a hospital following a bout with pneumonia, and they expressed the hope they would be able to catch up when Domingo went to Europe next month.

"There wasn't a goodbye," Domingo said.

Even throughout Wednesday, as Domingo was besieged with calls about Pavarotti's grave condition, his reaction was that "As long as there is life there is hope," and he hoped Pavarotti would overcome this "crisis."

After being told by Pavarotti's assistant the singer was stable, Domingo received another call a few hours later during a break in rehearsals to tell him Pavarotti had died 15 minutes earlier.

Domingo, Pavarotti and Jose Carreras became international superstars in the 1990s when they toured and recorded as The Three Tenors, a musical phenomenon that brought opera to the masses.

Domingo said he and Pavarotti had risen through the opera ranks together, and they established a solidarity over 40 years that defeated any attempts by critics to put one on a higher pedestal than the other. If there was any competition, both benefited, he said.

"I think the career of Luciano was bigger because I was there, as a friendly rival. And I think my career was bigger because he was there also, as the friendly rival."

He said he had not yet spoken with Carreras. Asked whether the two of them would perform a tribute to their fallen colleague, Domingo said, "We have to talk about it."