Famed Sicilian tenor Giuseppe di Stefano has died at the San Raffaele clinic near Milan, aged 86. The singer had never recovered from a coma that began in December 2004, following an incident in which he was brutally beaten by unknown assailants attempting to steal his wife's necklace, whilst the couple were en route to their villa in Diani, Kenya.
Famed for the many duets he recorded with the late Maria Callas, di Stefano's career spanned five decades and saw him appear at some of the worl's most prestigious opera houses - including La Scala in Milan, and the Metropolitan in New York.