Tenor Salvatore Licitra died at the age of 43 Monday in Cantania, Sicily, nine days after he was severely injured in a motor-scooter accident, the New York Times reports.
The singer lost control of his scooter and crashed into a wall after he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on August 27 in the Sicilian town of Ragusa. He was not wearing a helmet and sustained severe head and chest injuries, MSNBC reports. He never regained consciousness.
A female passenger was unharmed, according to the New York Times.
Licitra debuted in Parma, Italy in 1998, MSNBC reports. He got his big break four years later subbing for Luciano Pavarotti at New York's Metropolitan Opera during a gala performance of Puccini's "Tosca." He won ovations for his two big arias.
