Known for his enduring voice, Luciano Pavarotti was adored by fans and critics around the world. Early Thursday morning, the international opera star died from natural causes at his home in Modena, Italy, but the effects could even be seen on campus.

“Everyone in the business was expecting it after his surgery in New York last year,” said Donald Simonson, professor of music and chairman of the voice division. “We were all hoping for the best, but aware of what could happen.”

Pavarotti was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and recently underwent treatment.

Simonson, a longtime fan, said he first started listening to Pavarotti in the late 1960s and was immediately drawn in by the uniqueness of his voice and overall ease in his performance.

“He was the pinnacle of singers in his voice category and he made it always sound effortless, which made it easy to focus on what he was singing.”

Alexa Rainforth, freshman in music, said her teachers introduced her to Pavarotti.

“My voice teacher had me listen to him, because he’s so talented and he has passion,” Rainforth said. “To hear him and the way he sings a song and interpret it, he moves people.”

In his heyday, he was known as the “King of the High Cs” for the ease with which he tossed off difficult top notes.

It was his ability to hit nine glorious high Cs in quick succession that turned him into an international superstar, singing Tonio’s aria “Ah! Mes amis,” in Donizetti’s “La Fille du Regiment” at the Met in 1972.

While Pavarotti became renowned for his early solo performances, it wasn’t until the early 1990s that he gained celebrity status by joining forces with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras to form the Three Tenors.

In the latter part of his career, he came under fire for canceling performances and sometimes pandering to the lowest common denominator in his choice of programs, or for the Three Tenors tours and their millions of dollars in fees.

Yet, despite some criticism, Pavarotti was able to make opera available to a diverse audience with the skill and grace of his instrument.

“I heard him sing at the Met, and in Vienna, and every time I left a performance I was thinking that it was the best one I heard,” Simonson said.

“And that’s a testament to his genius.”

– This article contains information from The Associated Press.