Image copyright AFP 
 
 Opera singer Montserrat Caballé, whose duet with Freddie Mercury became the signature song of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, has died aged 85. 
 
 She had been suffering from health complaints for some time and was admitted to hospital in Barcelona last month, according to news agency Efe. 
 
 Her career spanned 50 years. 
 
 She had stints with the Basel Opera and Bremen Opera before her international breakthrough in 1965 in Lucrezia Borgia at Carnegie Hall in New York. 
 
 She went on to perform with the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera and Vienna State Opera, appearing opposite the likes of Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo. 
 
 The song Barcelona was first released in 1987 and later became an anthem for the city's 1992 Olympics, the year after Mercury died. Caballé sang at the opening ceremony with Domingo and José Carreras. 
 
 Beauty and drama 
 
 Montserrat Caballé was born in Barcelona, and at the age of nine was accepted for training at the city's Conservatori Liceu. 
 
 She graduated in 1953, and went to Italy, where she sang some minor roles. 
 
 Her career advanced rapidly after a successful appearance as Mimi in La Bohème at the Basel Opera. In 1965 she made a triumphant debut in the United States, taking over the title role - at short notice - of Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia at Carnegie Hall. 
 
 Her performance brought widespread praise for the beauty of her voice and her dramatic interpretation, and established her as an international star. 
 
 Image copyright AFP / Getty Images Image caption Caballé performing in Vienna in 1979 
 
 The same year she appeared at Glyndebourne in Der Rosenkavalier and The Marriage of Figaro, but she waited another seven years for her Covent Garden debut - as Violetta in La Traviata. 
 
 A short but imposing figure, Caballé endeared herself to audiences around the world with her irrepressible personality. Her fans called her La Superba - the superb one. 
 
 Her career was dogged by ill health. In 1985 she spent three months in hospital with a brain tumour, and had treatment for heart trouble in 1993. 
 
 In 2015, she was given a six-month suspended prison sentence for tax fraud. 
 
 Spanish media say plans are being made for a funeral in Barcelona on Monday. 

 FILE - In this Nov. 17, 2006, file photo, Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballe, with Swiss moderator Kurt Aeschbacher, not in photo, welcomes the public on the occasion of the celebration of her 50th stage... (Associated Press) 
 
 BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The Latest on the death of opera singer Montserrat Caballe (all times local): 
 
 11:30 a.m. 
 
 Tenor Jose Carreras says that the world of opera has lost its "best soprano" with the death of fellow Spaniard Montserrat Caballe. 
 
 Carreras has told Catalunya Radio that "of all the sopranos that I have heard live, I have never heard anyone like Montserrat." 
 
 Carreras, who like Caballe is from Barcelona, praised her "versatility," saying "she could do everything from the purest bel canto all the way to Wagner's 'Tristan und Isolde.'" 
 
 Caballe died in a Barcelona hospital on Saturday at age 85. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:45 a.m. 
 
 King Felipe VI has expressed his condolences for the death of Montserrat Caballe, calling the Spanish opera singer "a legend of universal culture." 
 
 The king's official Twitter account said that Caballe was "the great lady of opera, legend of universal culture, the best of the best." 
 
 The tweet adds that "her personality and unequaled voice will accompany us forever." 
 
 Caballe died in a Barcelona hospital on Saturday at age 85. 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:30 a.m. 
 
 Montserrat Caballe, a Spanish opera singer renowned for her bel canto technique and her interpretations of the roles of Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti, has died. She was 85. 
 
 Hospital Sant Pau spokesman Abraham del Moral confirmed her death early Saturday to The Associated Press. Del Moral says that Caballe's family requested the cause of death not be released while saying that she had been in the hospital since September. 
 
 Spanish media said that Caballe entered the Barcelona hospital in September because of a gall bladder problem. 
 
 Born into a working class family in Barcelona, Caballe unveiled her musical talents early, singing Bach cantatas at the age of 7. 
 
 In her almost unlimited repertoire, she starred in 90 opera roles with nearly 4,000 stage performances.
– Montserrat Caballe, a Spanish opera singer renowned for her bel canto technique and her interpretations of the roles of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti, has died, the AP reports. She was 85. Hospital Sant Pau spokesman Abraham del Moral confirmed her death early Saturday. Del Moral says that Caballe's family requested the cause of death not be released while saying that she'd been in the hospital since September. Spanish media said Caballe entered the hospital in September due to a gall bladder problem. Tenor Jose Carreras says the world of opera has lost its "best soprano," telling Catalunya Radio that "of all the sopranos that I have heard live, I have never heard anyone like Montserrat." Carreras, who like Caballe is from Barcelona, praised her "versatility," saying "she could do everything, from the purest bel canto all the way to Wagner's 'Tristan und Isolde.'" Born into a working class family in Barcelona, Caballe unveiled her musical talents early, singing Bach cantatas at the age of 7. Per the BBC, Caballe burst onto the international scene in Lucrezia Borgia at Carnegie Hall in 1965. She went on to appear alongside the likes of Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo, appearing at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Vienna State Opera. In her almost unlimited repertoire, she starred in 90 opera roles, with nearly 4,000 stage performances. King Felipe VI has expressed his condolences for Caballe, calling the Spanish opera singer "a legend of universal culture." The king's official Twitter account said that Caballe was "the great lady of opera, legend of universal culture, the best of the best." The tweet adds that "her personality and unequaled voice will accompany us forever."