Herbert Breslin, classical music publicist and Luciano Pavarotti’s former manager, died on Thursday at age 87.
Breslin, known as a brash and hard-driving figure who was the main force behind Pavarotti’s global fame, was found dead by his wife at a hotel room in Nice, France, apparently of a heart attack.
“Every time he offered me something to do, I very much liked it,” Pavarotti said in a 2003 interview quoted in “The King and I,” Breslin’s 2004 memoir co-authored with Anne Midgette.
“Herbert,” Pavarotti said, “was my wife in the opera.”
Born in 1924, Breslin became an opera fan as he grew up in New York. After becoming a publicist for the Santa Fe Opera, Breslin started his own company “Herbert Breslin Public Relations” in New York in the late 1950s. Among other musicians his firm represented were tenor Placido Domingo, sopranos Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne, and the pianist Alicia de Larrocha.
Breslin started with Pavarotti in 1967, and they worked together for 36 years until 2002, five years before the singer’s death.
In “The King and I” -- subtitled “The Uncensored Tale of Luciano Pavarotti’s Rise and Fame by His Manager, Friend, and Sometime Adversary” -- Breslin depicted Pavarotti's behind-the-scenes life, criticizing his personal conduct and confirming rumors that the tenor couldn't read music.
Under Breslin's guidance, however, Pavarotti moved beyond opera houses to become an worldwide entertainment star who performed at arenas, stadiums and even Las Vegas.
In addition to his wife Carol, 57, Breslin is survived by two children and four grandchildren.
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