Considered to be one of the world's three great operatic tenors living at the end of the 20th century, Jose Carreras (born 1946) waged a successful battle against a deadly form of leukemia to return to his beloved singing career. He won international acclaim touring with fellow tenors Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo.

Born in Barcelona, Spain, on December 5, 1946, Carreras was the youngest child of traffic cop, Jose Carreras-Soler, and hairdresser, Antonia Coll-Saigi. His was not a particularly musical family, but Carreras became interested in opera at only six years old. His father, a teacher who'd been forced into police work by the repressive Franco regime, took young Jose to see The Great Caruso, a film biography of operatic singer Enrico Caruso starring Mario Lanza. From that moment on, there was no doubt in Carreras' mind about what he wanted to do with his life. The very next day...