Andrea Bocelli
A tenor whose voice, blending operatic power with pop accessibility, has sold over 90 million records and brought classical music to stadiums worldwide.
Born 1958 (age 68)·Italian tenor·Birthday: September 22·Baby Boomers
Biography
Born in Lajatico, Tuscany, Andrea Bocelli was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma and lost his sight completely at age 12 after a football accident. His passion for music was undimmed; he studied law at the University of Pisa, performing in piano bars to pay his way. The pivotal moment came in 1992 when rock star Zucchero chose his demo tape to present to Luciano Pavarotti, leading to a duet and, in 1994, victory at the Sanremo Festival. Bocelli’s 1995 album 'Romanza' and the global hit 'Con te partirò' (Time to Say Goodbye) launched a phenomenon. He has since mastered a unique dual repertoire, recording both operatic standards and pop ballads, performing for popes and presidents, and founding the Teatro del Silenzio in his hometown. His career is a testament to the universal, border-crossing appeal of a singular voice.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Andrea was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andrea Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Andrea's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- He holds the Guinness World Record for simultaneously topping the US Classical and Classical Crossover charts with his 2009 album 'My Christmas'.
- His collaborative single 'Time to Say Goodbye' with Sarah Brightman became one of the best-selling singles of all time.
- He performed for an estimated global television audience of one billion at the 2006 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Turin.
- He founded the Andrea Bocelli Foundation in 2011, supporting projects for people in poverty and with disabilities.
Did You Know?
He is an accomplished equestrian and has participated in show jumping competitions.
Before his music career took off, he worked as a court-appointed lawyer for one year.
The town of Lajatico, where he was born, hosts an annual concert at an open-air theatre he helped create, the Teatro del Silenzio, which is silent for 364 days a year.
He is a wine producer, crafting bottles under the 'Bocelli Family Wines' label from his family's Tuscan vineyards.
“I was not born with the dream of becoming a famous singer. I was born with the need, the necessity, to express my feelings with music.”
