Italian Opera Star Salvatore Licitra Dies Per Week When Scooter Crash

Italian opera star Salvatore Licitra, who critics hailed because the heir to the nice Luciano Pavarotti, died Monday more than per week when he was seriously hurt during a motor scooter accident.

Hospital officials within the Sicilian city of Cantania say he never regained consciousness from head and chest injuries and declared him brain dead. Doctors suspect he may have had a stroke simply before he crashed. He was 43 years recent.

A Swiss-born tenor, Licitra created his debut in Parma, Italy in 1998. He soared to international fame in 2002 when he stuffed in for Pavarotti in Puccini’s Tosca at New York’s Metropolitan Opera.

His performances thrilled audiences and critics who raved not with reference to his voice however his acting ability.