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Credit: Attilio Bododi, restored by Adam Cuerden
Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 – 29 November 1924) photographed in 1924. Called "the greatest composer of Italian opera after Verdi", his works include standards of the operatic repertoire such as La bohème (1896), Tosca (1900), Madama Butterfly (1904), and Turandot (1924, premiered 1926).
Puccini's early work was rooted in traditional late-19th-century romantic Italian opera, but he later successfully developed his work in the realistic verismo style, of which he became one of the leading exponents.
He died of smoking-related lung cancer shortly before finishing his last opera, Turandot, which was finished based on his sketches.