Famed soprano Mirella Freni has passed away at age 84.

According to Italian newspapers the soprano died at home in Modena due to illness.

Born on Feb. 27, 1935 in Modena, Italy, she made her operatic debut at the Teatro Municipale in 1955 in “Carmen.” She would then go on to perform “La Bohème” at the Teatro Regio Torino in 1958 before heading to the Netherlands Opera in 1959-60.

A performance of “L’Elisir d’Amore” in Glyndebourne became her international breakthrough and in 1961, she made her Royal Opera House debut. Her Teatro alla Scala debut would come in 1963, followed by a Metropolitan Opera debut in 1965. In 2005, the Met would celebrate her 40^th anniversary with the company and 50^th anniversary on stage in a special gala.

Throughout the ensuing decade, Freni became a major proponent of heavier Verdi and Puccini roles and by the end of the decade, she married famed bass Nicolai Ghiaurov, with whom she would perform and record extensively. The two also established the Centro Universale del Bel Canto in Vignola. The 1990s would see Freni step into the Verismo repertory as well as major Russian operas by Tchaikovsky.

Her final staged opera came in 2005 at the Washington National Opera where she performed “The Maid of Orleans.” She was also featured in the Met’s gala honoring Joseph Volpe in 2006.

She went on to work with such conductors as Herbert von Karajan, Carlos Kleiber, Claudio Abbado, Luchino Visconti, Riccardo Muti, Georges Prêtre, Franco Zeffirelli, James Levine, George Solti, and Giuseppe Sinopoli.

Freni left a number of important recordings including “Aida,” “La Traviata,” “Tosca,” “La Bohème,” “Eugene Onegin,” “Madama Butterfly,” “Manon Lescaut,” and “Otello,” among others. She also appeared in several opera movies including “La Bohème,” “Madama Butterfly” and “La Traviata.” She went on to get six nominations for the Grammy Awards.

Freni was awarded the Italian Cavaliere di Gran Croce and French Légion d’honneur in 1993.