Plácido Domingo

Born José Plácido Domingo Embil on 21 January 1941, he grew up working in his parents' zarzuela company in Mexico, apprenticed in a Spanish operatic form most singers never touch. He built his name as a lirico-spinto tenor — Cavaradossi, Hoffmann, Don José — then pushed into heavier dramatic territory, becoming the most acclaimed Otello of his generation. In 1981 he released Perhaps Love with John Denver; the duet sold nearly four million copies and opened a parallel career in crossover and Latin pop, racking up fourteen Grammys and multi-platinum records. In 1990 he joined Pavarotti and Carre…