Salvatore Licitra, Italian Opera Singer, Dies at 43

Famed opera singer Salvatore Licitra died on Monday after losing control of his scooter in Italy. He was 43.

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The famed tenor -- who was hailed as the next Luciano Pavarotti -- was riding in the Sicilian city of Ragusa on Aug. 27 when he crashed. He was airlifted to a hospital in Catania, where doctors could not save him.

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"He suffered head and chest injuries during an accident while riding a scooter on August 27, 2011 in the city of Modica near Ragusa. He was flown to the hospital in Catania where he had surgery. He was in a coma from the time the accident happened. He passed away this morning leaving behind his beloved parents, his brother and many other family members," was posted on his website.

According to his site, "His engagements have taken him to the Vienna State Opera, Opernhaus Zurich, Munich’s Bayerische Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper and Staatsoper Berlin, Teatro alla Scala, Arena di Verona, London’s Royal Opera, Paris Opera Bastille, Tokyo, Taiwan, China, the opera companies of Rome, Naples, Florence, Parma, Palermo, Oslo, Lisbon as well as to the New York Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, San Francisco and Los Angeles Opera."

He rose to international fame when he stepped in at the last minute to replace Pavarotti at the Metropolitan Opera in Tosca, receiving strong reviews.