Mourners bid farewell to Pavarotti before funeral

By Gilles Castonguay

MODENA, Italy (Reuters) - Thousands of mourners filed past the open coffin of Luciano Pavarotti in the cathedral of his Italian home town on Friday, in an emotional farewell to the singer whose death prompted tributes from around the world.

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano joined the crowds in Modena's ancient cathedral where fans were allowed a last look at one of the greatest tenors in opera's history.

"I wanted to personally represent the emotion and the gratitude of Italians ... towards someone who took with him everywhere the purest voice and the purest image of our country," he told reporters.

The imposing, bearded opera star, who died of cancer on Thursday at the age of 71, was dressed in a black tuxedo, hands folded on his stomach and holding a rosary and a white handkerchief -- a favorite prop during his recitals.

Mourners included his second wife, Nicoletta Mantovani, who had their four-year-old daughter Alice in her arms, and his first wife, Adua Veroni, with two of his three daughters from that marriage, all in their 40s.

As admirers waited patiently in the long queue winding across the square in front of the cathedral, Pavarotti's singing could be heard from a recording played by loudspeakers.

At a nearby music store, his music was selling out. "Since yesterday it has been crazy," said store manager Giovanni Ricci.

Condolences came from everywhere, with U.S. President George W. Bush and Russia's Vladimir Putin joining opera singers Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras in praising Pavarotti.

"He brought to the world everything that is good about this town: simplicity, honesty and happiness," said Luigi Febbrano, a 51-year-old court clerk standing in line.

BONO AND BOCELLI

"The world at your feet," read the headline in a local paper in Modena, where Pavarotti was born into a humble family -- his father a baker, his mother a cigar factory worker -- and which he never forgot despite his stardom.

His gilded voice and huge personality touched millions around the world, and he achieved superstardom at the celebrated "Three Tenors" concert with Domingo and Carreras in Rome during the 1990 soccer World Cup in Italy.

"Nessun Dorma" will be played ahead of Euro 2008 soccer matches by the Italian and English national teams on Saturday.

Pavarotti had surgery for cancer in New York in July 2006, then retreated to Modena where he had two weeks of treatment in hospital last month before going home for the last time.

He spent his final hours at home with family and friends by his side, said his manager Terri Robson.