Modena, Italy ? Admirers massed by the hundreds in Modena’s main piazza Thursday night to pay their final respects to Luciano Pavarotti, the tenor cherished by many as “the last, great voice” of Italian opera.

The crowd applauded as pallbearers carried the white casket into the cathedral, where a funeral Saturday will draw dignitaries from opera, politics and culture. The tenor died early Thursday in his hometown at age 71 after a yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer.

On the Piazza Grande, hundreds of people gathered for the first evening of public viewing. Police on horseback stood at attention as mourners shuffled up the steps into the cathedral to view Pavarotti, dressed in his trademark white tie and tails, a white handkerchief and white rosary clutched in his hands.

His wife, Nicoletta Mantovani, stood off to the side of the casket, chatting calmly with well-wishers.

The atmosphere wasn’t sad or tearful but warm, as Modena residents celebrated their native son, many bringing their children to see what they said was an unforgettable moment for the city and world. Mayor Giorgia Pighi said the singer had been a beacon for the city.

“Thanks to Luciano Pavarotti, the name of Modena has gone around the world as the name of a city much bigger than it actually is,” Pighi told Associated Press Television News before the casket arrived.

The viewing was scheduled to end at midnight and then resume today at 6 a.m. and last, but for a few hours of closure overnight, until shortly before the funeral.

Authorities planned for a massive outpouring of grief: Giant television screens were to be set up near the cathedral where Italian Premier Romano Prodi, among others, would pay their final respects.

From the world of music, tenor Andrea Bocelli planned to sing the hymn “Panis angelicus” at the service, the ANSA news agency reported.

Within hours of Pavarotti’s death, Modena authorities had posted information on the city Web site detailing the extraordinary public transport services that would be put in place to help get mourners from parking lots to the city center for Saturday’s service.

Amid an outpouring of tributes, the Vienna State Opera raised a black flag in mourning and the Guards band at Buckingham Palace played Pavarotti’s signature aria “Nessun Dorma” at the Changing of the Guard ceremony.

In his 1995 autobiography: “Pavarotti: My World,” he said the first of the “Three Tenors” concerts was a major event for each man. “I hope I am not immodest to think it was also unforgettable for most of the people who were present.”

When he died before dawn Thursday, his wife, Nicoletta, four daughters and sister were among those at his side, manager Terri Robson said.

Pavarotti himself was clear on his legacy. “I think a life in music is a life beautifully spent, and this is what I have devoted my life to,” he said in a quote posted on his Web site after his death Thursday.