85 Facts About Andrea Bocelli

Andrea Bocelli was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting from a football accident.

Andrea Bocelli rose to fame in 1994, winning the newcomer's section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing "Il mare calmo della sera".

Since 1994, Andrea Bocelli has recorded 15 solo studio albums of both pop and classical music, three greatest hits albums, and nine complete operas, selling over 75 million records worldwide.

Andrea Bocelli has had success as a crossover performer, bringing classical music to the top of international pop charts.

In 1998, Andrea Bocelli was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People.

Andrea Bocelli duetted with Celine Dion on the song "The Prayer" for the animated film Quest for Camelot, which won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Andrea Bocelli captured a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records with the release of his classical album Sacred Arias, as he simultaneously held the top three positions on the US Classical Albums charts.

Andrea Bocelli was made a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2006, and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 2 March 2010 for his contribution to Live Theater, and he was awarded a gold medal for Merit in Serbia in 2022.

Andrea Bocelli was born with impaired sight to Alessandro and Edi Andrea Bocelli on 22 September 1958.

Andrea Bocelli stated that his mother's decision to give birth to him and overrule the doctor's advice was the inspiration for him to oppose abortion.

Andrea Bocelli showed a great passion for music as a young boy.

Andrea Bocelli's mother has said that music was the only thing that would comfort him.

Andrea Bocelli started piano lessons at age 6 and later learned to play the flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, guitar, and drums.

At age 12, Andrea Bocelli lost his vision completely due to a football accident.

Andrea Bocelli was hit in the eye playing goalkeeper during a match and experienced a brain hemorrhage.

Andrea Bocelli gave his first concert in a small village not far from where he was born.

Andrea Bocelli won his first song competition at age 14 with "'O sole mio" at the Margherita d'Oro in Viareggio.

Andrea Bocelli finished secondary school in 1980, and then studied law at the University of Pisa.

Andrea Bocelli completed law school and spent one year as a court-appointed lawyer.

In Zucchero's European concert tour in 1993, Andrea Bocelli accompanied him to sing the duet, and he was given solo sets in the concerts, singing "Nessun dorma" from Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot.

Andrea Bocelli signed with the Sugar Music label in Milan after Caterina Caselli heard Andrea Bocelli sing "Miserere" and "Nessun Dorma" at a birthday party for Zucchero.

Andrea Bocelli won the preliminary competition with the highest marks ever recorded in the newcomers section.

Andrea Bocelli had been an agnostic, but around 1994, partly as a result of immersing himself in the works of Russian author Leo Tolstoy, he returned to the practice of the Catholic faith.

Andrea Bocelli performed the hymn "Adeste Fideles" in Rome before Pope John Paul II in St Peter's Basilica at Christmas.

Andrea Bocelli entered the main competition with "Con te partiro" and finished in fourth place.

The song was included on his second album, Andrea Bocelli, produced by Mauro Malavasi and released in November 1995.

Andrea Bocelli was invited to sing a duet with English soprano Sarah Brightman at the final bout of German boxer Henry Maske.

Andrea Bocelli topped the Spanish singles chart in 1996 with a duet with Marta Sanchez, "Vivo por ella", the Spanish version of "Vivo per lei", recorded with Giorgia for his 1997 compilation album, Romanza.

Andrea Bocelli recorded a Portuguese version of the song with Brazilian singer Sandy.

Andrea Bocelli made his debut in a major operatic role in 1998 when he played Rodolfo in a production of La boheme at the Teatro Comunale in Cagliari from 18 to 25 February.

Andrea Bocelli was named one of People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People of 1998.

On Thanksgiving Eve, Andrea Bocelli was a guest on Celine Dion's television special These Are Special Times in which he joined Dion to sing "The Prayer" and he sang "Ave Maria" solo.

Andrea Bocelli performed at Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and gave further concerts in Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago, and made an appearance on Jay Leno's first installment of The Tonight Show.

Andrea Bocelli was accompanied by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestro Steven Mercurio with special guest Soprano Ana Maria Martinez and a surprise appearance by Sarah Brightman to sing with Bocelli on "Time to Say Goodbye".

Andrea Bocelli received another Echo Klassik award for "Bestseller of the year" for Sacred Arias.

In January 2001, Andrea Bocelli portrayed the main character in Mascagni's opera L'amico Fritz at the Teatro Filarmonico in Verona and again performed the tenor part in Verdi's Requiem.

In February 2003, Andrea Bocelli performed Madama Butterfly in an exclusive Monte Carlo concert, which was attended by Caroline, Princess of Hanover.

Andrea Bocelli then resumed his tour, accompanied by Maria Luigia Borsi, Ruth Rogers and Marcello Rota.

Andrea Bocelli won the "Favourite Specialist Performer" award at the UK National Music Awards in October 2003.

Andrea Bocelli appeared in Sesame Street singing "Time to Say Goodnight" a parody of "Time to Say Goodbye" as a lullaby to Elmo.

Andrea Bocelli began another tour with a concert at the Piazza di Castello in Turin.

On 1 July 2007, Andrea Bocelli performed "The Music of the Night" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, in a special musicals medley during the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium in London, England.

Andrea Bocelli returned to his home town for a concert at the newly created Teatro del Silenzio in Lajatico on 5 July 2007, with guest appearance by Kenny G, Heather Headley, Lang Lang, Elisa, Sarah Brightman and Laura Pausini.

On 20 January 2008, Andrea Bocelli received the Italian TV award Telegatto in platinum for Italian music in the world, in Rome.

Andrea Bocelli later praised Filipina teen-aged singer Charice, whom he first heard perform at that concert.

Andrea Bocelli released the complete opera recording of Carmen in Italy in the same year, which he recorded in 2005.

Andrea Bocelli was accompanied by the I Solisti Veneti orchestra, celebrating its 50th birthday and conducted by Claudio Scimone, and by the Wiener Singakademie choir.

Andrea Bocelli completed his performance in Leicester Square with, "God Bless Us Everyone", the closing song of the movie, which he provided the vocals for in English, Italian and Spanish.

Andrea Bocelli was joined by the Piccolo Coro dell'Antoniano, in his home in Forte dei Marmi, where they sang "Caro Gesu Bambino", a song from My Christmas which was originally recorded by the choir in 1960.

Andrea Bocelli took part in the annual 2009 Jose Carreras Gala, on 17 December, where he sang Adeste Fideles, before singing "White Christmas" with Jose Carreras for the very first time; this was broadcast live, by Das Erste, in Germany.

Andrea Bocelli was joined by Heather Headley and 120 musicians from the Stockholm Concert Orchestra, in all three concerts, and by Swedish mezzo-soprano Malena Ernman in his Swedish concert.

On 30 April, Andrea Bocelli sang "Nessun dorma" during the opening ceremony of the Expo 2010, in Shanghai, China.

On 18 May, during the 2010 World Music Awards, Andrea Bocelli performed "Un Amore Cosi Grande" from his 2008 album, Incanto, and received his seventh World Music Award, for "Best Classical Artist".

Andrea Bocelli's guests included Spanish Catalan tenor Jose Carreras, and Italian rock singer Zucchero.

In September 2010, Andrea Bocelli held a concert at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, in Athens, Greece.

Andrea Bocelli gave concerts in Cairo, Egypt, in front of the pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza, as well as a fundraising concert inside the Duomo di Milano to benefit victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Andrea Bocelli performed in Madison Square Garden, in New York City, Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey, TD Garden, in Boston, Toyota Center, in Houston, Staples Center, in Los Angeles, and the MGM Grand's Garden Arena, in the Las Vegas Strip.

In late March, early April, as part of the 2011 Latin Leg of his Incanto Tour, Andrea Bocelli gave concerts in Bogota, and Panama City.

In May 2011, Andrea Bocelli held 5 concerts in East and Southeast Asia, and was joined by New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra during the tour.

Andrea Bocelli held two other concerts in Taipei, and two concerts in Beijing.

Andrea Bocelli was accompanied by the New York Philharmonic, conducted by its music director Alan Gilbert, and the Westminster Symphonic Choir.

Andrea Bocelli played the role of Romeo in Charles Gounod's opera Romeo et Juliette, at the Teatro Carlo Felice, for two performances in February 2012.

Andrea Bocelli cancelled a third performance because of pharyngitis after having vocal strain throughout.

On 22 April, Andrea Bocelli gave an open-air concert at Yerevan's Liberty Square, in Armenia, dedicated to the proclamation of Yerevan as the 2012 World Book Capital; he was accompanied by the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marcello Rota.

Andrea Bocelli released his fifteenth studio album Cinema on 23 October 2015.

On 15 December 2017, Ed Sheeran released a collaboration with Andrea Bocelli titled "Perfect Symphony".

In June 2018, Andrea Bocelli released the single "If Only", his first after fourteen years.

On 20 September 2018, Andrea Bocelli released the single "Fall On Me" which features vocals from his son Matteo.

On 1 February 2019, Andrea Bocelli performed a sold-out concert in 'Winter at Tantora' festival running at Al-'Ula for the first time in Saudi Arabia.

On 3 July 2019 Andrea Bocelli performed at the opening ceremony of the 2019 Summer Universiade in Naples with three songs includes "Fall On Me" with his son Matteo.

On 12 April 2020, during the national COVID-19 lockdowns in Italy, Andrea Bocelli performed an Easter Sunday concert from an empty Milan Cathedral, accompanied by cathedral organist Emanuele Vianelli.

On 13 September 2020, Andrea Bocelli performed the Italian National Anthem at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix.

Andrea Bocelli performed Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" during the Opening Ceremony of the 2020 UEFA European Football Championship held in Rome, Italy on 11 June 2021.

On 5 June 2022, Andrea Bocelli performed Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" during the BBC's Platinum Party at the Palace, one of the celebrations of the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

On 21 October 2022, Andrea Bocelli released his first collaboration album with his son and daughter, Matteo and Virginia, titled A Family Christmas.

On 7 May 2023, Andrea Bocelli performed "You'll Never Walk Alone" together with Bryn Terfel during the BBC's Coronation Concert to mark the coronation of Charles III.

Andrea Bocelli is a widely popular singer with a substantial fan base worldwide.

Andrea Bocelli met his first wife, Enrica Cenzatti, while singing at piano bars early in his career.

Andrea Bocelli married Veronica Berti on 21 March 2014 at the Sanctuary of Montenero in the coastal town of Livorno, Italy.

Andrea Bocelli has enjoyed horseback riding for much of his life.

In October 2013 Andrea Bocelli bought a second home in North Miami Beach.

Andrea Bocelli is a self-declared fan of Italian football club Inter Milan.

In 2006, Andrea Bocelli convinced the municipality of his hometown Lajatico to build an outdoor theatre, the "Teatro del Silenzio".

Since its opening in 2006, Andrea Bocelli has held 12 concerts, every July, with guests including Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, Sarah Brightman, Katherine Jenkins, Zucchero, Laura Pausini, and Elisa.

Andrea Bocelli is the author, and co-author, of numerous works available in Italian, English, and other languages.