Renata Tebaldi, the Italian soprano whose voice Arturo Toscanini compared to that of an angel, died Sunday at her home in San Marino. She was 82. Tibaldi, who retired in 1976, was one of the New York Metropolitan Opera's biggest stars. She also appeared regularly at Milan's La Scala Opera House.

Born Renata Ersilia Clotilde Tebaldi on February 1, 1922, she was stricken with polio at the age of three. Unable to participate in physical activities as a child, she became interested in music. As a teenager, she studied for three years at the Conservatory of Parma with Ettore Campogaliani and then three more years with Carmen Melis. She made her professional debut at 22 in Mefistofele

At 24, she auditioned for Arturo Toscanini in Milan. He hired her on the spot and in 1946, she made her La Scala debut in Rossini's opera, Mose. She also sang the soprano role in Verdi's Te Deum. She stayed exclusively at La Scala for five years.

In 1954 she made her American debut in San Francisco as Aida. Then, on January 31, 1955, she appeared as Desdemona in Otello at New York's Metropolitan Opera. Her Met career included performances as as Mimi in La Bohème, Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly, Tosca in Tosca, Manon in Manon Lescaut, and Violetta in La Traviata.

In 1963, while appearing at the Met in a revival of Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur, Tebaldi began to suffer from damage to her vocal chords. Hoping to protect her voice, she took over a year off before returning to begin what she referred to as her 'second chance.' Her last opera performance was in 1973, and she officially retired at 54 in 1976 after her last concert.

Tebaldi devoted her life to her career. She never married and had no children. Although she spent most of her later years in Milan, she maintained a residence in San Marino where she died.