WATCH: Bono Marvels Over Luciano Pavarotti's Legendary Performances in New Documentary Clip
Bono has nothing but admiration for the late Luciano Pavarotti.
In a PEOPLE exclusive clip of Ron Howard’s new documentary Pavarotti, the U2 singer, 59, says the opera master dug deep to deliver his masterful performances.
“You have to break your heart again and again and again to sing those songs,” says Bono. “It really pisses me off when people miss that because these are well-known songs. What can you bring to them?”
He continues, “The only thing you can bring to them is your entire life. A life that’s been lived, the mistakes you’ve made, the hopes, the desires. That stuff comes crashing into the performance.”
In the trailer for the film, a friend of the Italian opera singer said he “was a nervous wreck before every performance.”
“He would always say, ‘I go to die,’” the friend continued.
Filled with interviews by Pavarotti’s friends, family members and those who worked with him, Pavarotti traces the singer’s life to his massive worldwide appeal.
RELATED: Luciano Pavarotti Sings Again in Emotional Trailer for Documentary About Opera Legend’s Life
While Pavarotti’s life took him away from those he loved, his work also introduced him to those living under difficult circumstances.
“He was crushed by injustice,” another friend said in the trailer. “He became completely obsessed by what he could do for others.”
The singer died in 2007 at the age of 71 from pancreatic cancer.
Pavarotti is in select theaters on June 7.