Andrea Bocelli Leaves Fans in Tears with Easter Concert Live from Empty Milan Cathedral

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Italian Opera singer Andrea Bocelli held an emotional Easter concert. His performance conveyed a message of hope in these trying times.

In celebration of Easter Sunday, Andrea Bocelli rendered a solo performance in an empty cathedral. The concert, which was live-streamed on YouTube, has gathered about 24 million views on the social media platform.

In the opening scenes, Bocelli gave an introductory speech while the video showed a flyover of Duomo di Milano and its deserted city. He acknowledged the power of live music to bring the world together while trying to comfort one another.

Dressed in a black suit, the 61-year-old sang four songs standing close to the altar, while maintaining his distance from the cathedral organist Emmanuelle Vianelli.

Andrea was invited to perform by the city of Milan and its cathedral, the "Duomo di Milano." He revealed that he happily accepted the invitation to have the concert even without a live audience.

He performed "Panis Angelicus," "Ave Maria," "Sancta Maria," and "Domine Deus." In the breaks between the songs, even the faintest sound could be heard in the cathedral, which is the largest in Italy.

Towards the end of the clip, Andrea walked from the decorated hallway into the cathedral square, where a single microphone stood for him to perform his final song, "Amazing Grace." He started the performance as an acapella before the sound of the organ was added.

Andrea became blind at the age of twelve after having a soccer injury.

As Andrea's solo voice echoed in the empty square, the camera pulled back to show the famous cathedral standing in all its glory.

When the organ started, shots of empty streets around famous places across the world were shown. The clip featured locations such as the Eiffel Tower, London's Trafalgar Square and New York's Times Square.

While Bocelli was singing his final lines, the camera fell back to him just as he sang, "Was blind, but now I see." The concert ended with the music icon still standing by the microphone.

The Andrea Bocelli Fund is raising money with the concert to provide health workers with emergency materials such as protective gear.

Born on September 22, 1958, in Italy, Andrea became interested in music at an early age. At the age of six, he had already started taking piano classes.

He also learned how to play the flute and saxophone. Very often, Bocelli was asked to sing at family gatherings and even at school. Although Andrea had been visually impaired from birth, he became blind at the age of twelve after having a soccer injury.

In 1992, he got married to his first wife, Enrica, with whom he had two sons. The couple separated in 2002. He later married Veronica Berti in 2014, and the duo have a daughter together.