Opera legend Luciano Pavarotti got a final standing ovation at his funeral when a recording was played of a 1978 duet with his father Fernando.
The invited guests in Modena, Italy's cathedral on Saturday stood for several minutes for "Panis Angelicus."
After the service ended, Italy's air force precision flying team flew over the cathedral, releasing red, white and green smoke to mark the colours of the Italian flag.
The strains of Verdi's "Ave Maria" opened the funeral. Tears streamed down the face of Bulgarian-born soprano Raina Kabaivanska, a Modeno resident who had worked with Pavarotti, as she sang.
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli also sang Mozart's "Ave Verum Corpus."
Thousands watched the service on a giant-screen TV in the city's main square.
Pavarotti's white maple casket was covered in sunflowers, his favourite.
Among the notables in attendance were Bono, lead singer of U2, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, film director Franco Zeffirelli and Italy's Premier Romano Prodi.
Members of the Juventus soccer team, Pavarotti's favourite, carried the flag into the cathedral. Modena Bishop Benito Cocchi presided over the service, along with 18 other priests.
Pope Benedict XVI sent a telegram of condolence that was read out at the service's start.
Pavarotti had "honoured the divine gift of music through his extraordinary interpretative talent," he said.
During two days of public viewing, attended by an estimated 50,000 people, the tenor's most famous recordings were played.
His body remained on display Saturday from dawn until just before the funeral service started, which was televised live in Italy. He was clad in a black tuxedo and his hands clasped one of his trademark white handkerchiefs.
Pavarotti, 71, died Thursday at his home. He had been battling pancreatic cancer for more than a year.
He is to be buried in Montale Rangone cemetery near Modena, resting place of his parents and stillborn son Richardo.
He is survived by Nicoletta Mantovani, his second wife, their daughter Alice and three daughters from his first marriage to Adua Veroni.
The son of a baker, Pavarotti's dream growing up was to play soccer. That all changed when he found his voice, becoming an international sensation and a household name.
"I think he broke down a lot of barriers," Canadian tenor Richard Margison told CTV.
"He was able to take away the idea that opera is elitist in a very wonderful way."
With files from The Associated Press
