Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras were once on opposite sides of the political divide so much so that Carreras refused to appear on the same stage as Domingo. But then he contracted leukemia and almost went bankrupt paying for treatments. But the newly formed Hermosa Foundation came to his aid and eventually he was able to return to singing. Only then did he learn that the founder, and chief contributor was none other than Placido Domingo. And so, before a huge audience in Spain, Jose Carreras knelt before Placido, thanked him and asked his forgiveness. That was the beginning of a great friendship and the legendary Three Tenors. When asked why he had done this to help his political enemy and greatest competitor, Placido said: ‘We could not afford to lose a voice like that.’
But the real gift to the world was his example of what it is to be a truly great human being.