LUCIANO PAVAROTTI - PAVAROTTI MEMORIAL CONCERT TO RAISE MONEY FOR REFUGEES

The proceeds from a concert held in memory of the late Luciano Pavarotti will go to United Nations (UN) projects in Afghanistan, it has been confirmed.

The legendary tenor died in September last year in his home town of Modena having been seriously ill in hospital.

And musicians who performed with the opera great in Modena charity concerts will now join a lineup of major classical and popular music stars at a show held in Petra, Jordan, to honour his life and career.

The funds raised at the event on October 12th - Pavarotti's birthday - are to go to projects run jointly in Afghanistan by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), it has been confirmed.

Pavarotti's widow, Nicoletta Mantovani, said the concert has been made possible by Princess Haya of Jordan, a UN Messenger of Peace and a Goodwill Ambassador for the WFP.

"A concert in Petra was a dream once shared by the late King Hussein of Jordan [Princess Haya's father] and Luciano," Ms Mantovani explained.

Pavarotti, who along with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras formed the Three Tenors, had performed to sell-out crowds around the world and sold best-selling classical albums during a career which spanned four decades.

Renowned for his rotund figure and jovial personality, he is likely to be remembered best for his famous performances of Puccini's Nessun Dorma, which became the theme tune on British television for the 1990 football World Cup in Italy.