The Illness and Death of Enrico Caruso (1873–1921): A Medical Chorus Out of Tune?

The Italian opera singer Enrico Caruso is considered by many people the most famous opera singer of all time or "The Matchless Singer" for his unique and suggestive vocal timber. Although a man of humble origins, he managed to rise from poverty, thanks to his extraordinary intelligence and determination. From his debut in 1895 in Naples, until December 24, 1920, the tenor had a brilliant career with many performances and over 500 songs in his repertoire. This intense lifestyle went on until 1919, when the fortune that had always accompanied him began to fade and he entered a fast "descending parable." In this study, we analyze Caruso's medical history during his last year of life: Through the study of the newspapers from the period and the statements reported on the tenor's many biographies, we tried to offer a detailed evaluation of the complex pathogenic chain of events that led to his death, impeding him from keeping to alleviate the heart-breaking nostalgia of many emigrants that felt in his singing the warmth of a too distant land.