Andrea Bocelli

Bocelli married Enrica Cenzatti in 1992, and they had two sons, Amos and Matteo, before separating in 2002. He met Veronica Berti that year, and they married in 2014. Berti is also his manager, and their daughter, Virginia, was born in 2012.

Bocelli lives with Berti and Virginia in Forte dei Marmi, Tuscany. His first wife and two sons live in the same comune, in the family's previous residence.

Bocelli was born with congenital glaucoma and began piano lessons at six. He later learned to play the flute and saxophone, among other instruments, and sang at family gatherings and school events. He won his first singing competition at 14 with a performance of the Neapolitan song "'O sole mio."

At 12, Bocelli became totally blind after a soccer accident. He studied law at the University of Pisa, earned a law degree and worked for a year as a court-appointed lawyer. He continued singing in piano bars to finance his musical training, including studies with tenor Franco Corelli.

Bocelli's breakthrough began in 1992, when he recorded a demo of "Miserere" for Zucchero Fornaciari. Luciano Pavarotti heard the recording, was impressed by Bocelli's voice and encouraged Zucchero to use him on the song. Bocelli subsequently performed with Zucchero during his European tour and appeared with Pavarotti at the Pavarotti International charity concert.

Bocelli won the newcomers' section of the 1994 Sanremo Music Festival with "Il mare calmo della sera," which also became the title of his debut album. His 1995 album Bocelli featured "Con te partirò," later recorded with Sarah Brightman as "Time to Say Goodbye." The duet was first performed for boxer Henry Maske at his final fight in 1996 and became an international hit.

The compilation album Romanza helped expand Bocelli's audience in the United States, while Sogno established him as an international recording artist. Sogno included "The Prayer," his duet with Céline Dion, which won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and received an Academy Award nomination.

Bocelli has built his career by combining operatic arias with popular music, a style often described as classical crossover or "popera." His recordings include complete operas as well as pop-focused albums, traditional songs and sacred music. He made his major operatic debut as Rodolfo in Puccini's La bohème in 1998 and later performed roles in Werther, Madama Butterfly, Tosca and Roméo et Juliette.

His early 21st-century albums included Cieli di Toscana, Amore, Incanto, the holiday album My Christmas and the live recording Concerto: One Night in Central Park. Cinema, released in 2015, featured his interpretations of film music and duets with Ariana Grande and Nicole Scherzinger. His 2018 album Sì included collaborations with Ed Sheeran, Josh Groban and his son Matteo Bocelli, and became his first number-one album on both the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200.

Bocelli has also collaborated with Jennifer Lopez, Nelly Furtado, Christina Aguilera, Stevie Wonder and Ed Sheeran. In 2022, he recorded A Family Christmas with Matteo and Virginia, featuring family arrangements of traditional carols and newly written compositions.

Bocelli's memoir, The Music of Silence, was published in English in 2001. It was adapted into the 2017 film The Music of Silence, directed by Michael Radford. He has also appeared in concert films, television specials and the 2009 short film Omaggio a Roma.

In 2006, Bocelli persuaded the municipality of his hometown, Lajatico, to build the open-air Teatro del Silenzio. He serves as its honorary president and generally performs there for one major concert each July. Guest performers at the venue have included Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, Sarah Brightman, Zucchero, Laura Pausini and Elisa.

Bocelli received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 for his contribution to live theater. He has performed at major public events including the 2006 Winter Olympics closing ceremony, the 2010 FIFA World Cup celebrations and the 2020 Easter concert Music for Hope, which he streamed from Milan's empty Duomo cathedral during the COVID-19 lockdowns.