-Time to Say Goodbye _1997_Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli :

"Time to Say Goodbye" is a song from the albums, "Timeless" (in Europe) and "TIme to Say Goodbye" (in N. America), by English soprano and classical-crossover artist Sarah Brightman and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. The song itself is a cover version of the original 1995 recording "Con te partirò" by Andrea Bocelli, released as a single and included on his album, "Bocelli, Romanza".

The Brightman-Bocelli release was a huge success throughout Europe, reaching #1 in Germany and several other countries.
This live version is from Brightman's first full concert recording, "Sarah Brightman: In Concert", from London's Royal Albert Hall with the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Paul Bateman. Guest artists include Andrew Lloyd Webber, Adam Clark and Andrea Bocelli. The concert was released to video in 1998.
The concert was directed by David Mallet.

Andrea Angel Bocelli, born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor, and singer-songwriter. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a football accident.."Time to Say Goodbye", topped charts ,12 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Bocelli receiving a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame

Andrea Angel Bocelli, OMRI, OMDSM (Italian pronunciation: [anˈdrɛːa boˈtʃɛlli]; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor, and singer-songwriter. Born with poor eyesight, he became blind at the age of twelve following a football accident.

Since winning the Newcomers section of the Sanremo Music Festival in 1994, Bocelli has recorded fourteen solo studio albums, of both pop and classical music, three greatest hits albums, and nine complete operas, selling over 80 million records worldwide. Thus, he has had success as a cross-over performer bringing classical music to the top of international pop charts.

In 1998, he was named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People. In 1999, he was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards. "The Prayer", his duet with Celine Dion for the animated film Quest for Camelot, won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song and was nominated for an Academy Award in the same category. With the release of his classical album, Sacred Arias, Bocelli captured a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records, as he simultaneously held the top 3 positions on the US Classical Albums charts. Seven of his albums have since reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200, and a record-setting 10 have topped the classical crossover albums charts in the United States.

With 5 million units sold worldwide, Sacred Arias became the biggest-selling classical crossover album by a solo artist of all time, and with over 20 million copies sold worldwide, his 1997 pop album, Romanza, became the best-selling album by an Italian artist of any genre in history, as well as the best-selling album by a foreign artist in Canada, and a number of other countries in Europe and Latin America. The album's first single, "Time to Say Goodbye", topped charts across Europe, including Germany, where it stayed at the top of the charts for fourteen consecutive weeks, breaking the all-time sales record, with over 3 million copies sold in the country. The single went on to sell over 12 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Bocelli was made a Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2006, and on 2 March 2010, was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to Live Theater.

Childhood and education

Bocelli was born in 1958 to Alessandro and Edi Bocelli, even though they were advised to abort him. He has stated that his mother's decision to give birth to him and overrule the doctor's advice was the inspiration for him to hold a pro-life view toward abortion. They lived on the family farm, selling farm machinery and making wine in the small village of La Sterza, a frazione of Lajatico, Tuscany, Italy, which is about 40 km (25 mi) south of Pisa. Bocelli's mother and younger brother Alberto still live in the family home. Bocelli's father died in 2000.

As a young boy, Bocelli showed a great passion for music. His mother has said that music was the only thing that would comfort him. At the age of six, he started piano lessons, and later also learned to play the flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, guitar and drums. Then, when his nanny Oriana gave him the first record of Franco Corelli, he realized that pursuing the career of a tenor was his destiny. By seven, he was already able to recognize the famous voices of the time as well as tried to emulate the great interpreters.

Bocelli would also spend time singing during his childhood. He gave his first concert in a small village not far from where he was born. At the age of 14, he won his first song competition, the Margherita d'Oro in Viareggio with "'O sole mio". After finishing secondary school in 1980, he studied law at the University of Pisa. To earn money, Bocelli performed evenings in piano bars. He completed law school and spent one year as a court-appointed lawyer. It was there, in 1987, that he met his future wife, Enrica.

Loss of sight

It was evident at birth that Bocelli had numerous problems with his sight, and after visits to many doctors, he was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma. In 1970, at the age of 12, he lost his sight completely following an accident during a football game. He was accidentally hit on the head during a match and suffered a brain hemorrhage. Doctors resorted to leeches in a desperate last-ditch effort to save his sight, but they were unsuccessful, and he remained blind.