Bulgarian opera star dies

Nicolai Ghiaurov, the Bulgarian-born opera singer who became one of the great basses of the post-war era, has died in Italy of a heart attack.

Ghiaurov, 74, who specialised in late 19th-century works and often performed with his wife, the Italian soprano Mirella Freni, died yesterday at Hesperia Hospital clinic near their home in Modena.