Jose Carreras ‘proud’ to have been a friend

Carreras said he was “very proud” to have been a colleague and “very close friend” of Pavarotti, who died Thursday aged 71.

Carreras’s remarks carried by Swedish television were made to reporters during a visit to Karlstad in western Sweden for a concert.

The opera star said that although Pavarotti’s death was expected it was still painful. Pavarotti, Carreras and Placido Domingo formed the Three Tenors who performed at highly-feted concerts between 1990 and 2003.

Asked to rate Pavarotti, Carreras said: “I think he has been one of the most important tenors of all times, you can consider him together with a very few other artists like (Maria) Callas or (Enrico) Caruso, he is on that level, and we all know this.”

Carreras said he had spoken with Pavarotti four or five days ago and the Italian told him to “have as much fun as you can.”

Carreras said he would remember Pavarotti’s “wonderful charismatic personality,” adding that he was a “great poker player.”

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