Opera star Marcello Giordani dies in Sicily

Global opera star Marcello Giordani, pictured, has died at his home in Sicily at the age of 56. The Italian tenor had suffered a heart attack on Saturday afternoon and could not be saved, his management said.

Mr Giordani rose to international fame performing at the world’s top opera houses.

Born Marcello Guagliardo in 1963 in Sicily, he was the son of a prison guard who would later go on to run a petrol station.

It was there the global star made his singing debut, he admitted in an interview in 2007. “People still remember me when I was 12 or 13, singing or bringing coffee,” he said.

Aged 19, he quit his job working in a bank to move to Milan to train as an opera singer.

Mr Guagliardo took Giordani as his stage name as it was easier for non-Italian speakers to pronounce.

He built his career singing across Italy, Europe and finally the United States.

In 1994, he faced significant vocal problems and a challenge to rebuild his career but, showing off the stamina for which he became renowned, did not cancel any performance as result. It was after this struggle that his career with the Met Opera really flourished as he went on to perform with the company more than 240 times, opening its season twice.

Critics ranked him among the top performers of his generation, with the New York Times proclaiming in 2002 that “Marcello Giordani sang like God”.

The Italian set up a foundation in his own name in 2010 to help young opera singers beginning their careers.

Mr Giordani is survived by his wife, Wilma, and his two sons.