LUCIANO Pavarotti achieved the near-impossible.He made opera, which can be a very difficult art form to understand, accessible to the masses and his death this morning has robbed the world of a great talent.

LUCIANO Pavarotti achieved the near-impossible.

He made opera, which can be a very difficult art form to understand, accessible to the masses and his death this morning has robbed the world of a great talent.

Pavarotti, with his colleagues Placido Domingo and José Carreras, showed to the world that among complex and often impenetrable operas there were some fine songs and memorable tunes.

He will be forever associated with Puccini's Nessun Dorma. How many people had heard of that aria or indeed the opera Turandot before his version of it was used as the theme for the 1990 World Cup?

Pavarotti used his new-found popular fame to tour the world bringing opera to an audience that had never heard the great works before.

The music itself is wonderful, but it was the character of Pavarotti that persuaded people to listen to it in the first place.

Instantly recognisable with a frame that told the world how much he loved the pasta of his native land and always with a handkerchief in his hand, Pavarotti could hold an audience spellbound.

His death leaves a huge void in the world of classical music - but his legacy is that he has popularised opera around the world and more people than ever before are seeking to discover a musical form that has often been seen as a minority taste.

Luciano Pavarotti may have died today - but his music lives on.

AS young soldier Aaron McClure is due to be laid to rest in his home town next week, his grieving family has invited everyone to take part in the ceremony to mark a young life cut tragically short.

That is a very brave decision for them, and one which will be applauded by all those who want to pay their own tribute to an exceptional young man.

Pupils from his former school, Westbourne High, will line the route of the cortege as it heads from his Marlow Road home to St Thomas' church.

And there will be further opportunity to pay tribute as the party moves through the town to his final resting place in the Millennium Cemetery.

It is quite clear from all the tributes that have come in that Aaron was a wonderful youngster with a great life and successful career ahead of him when he was so cruelly cut down in Afghanistan.

And by their dignity and composure over the last two weeks, it has become clear that he came from a quite exceptional family.

THOUSANDS of Town fans who headed for Leeds at the end of last season came under a frightening barrage from a comparatively small number of thugs who have linked themselves with the Yorkshire club.

It is good to hear that now police in Leeds believe they have identified some of those involved and have released pictures to try to identify the culprits.

Everyone who was at that match last April will be hoping that this is just the first stage of the legal process which will eventually see those responsible for the terror on the terraces being brought to justice.