A giant among opera composers, Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) was descended from composers stretching back to the Baroque Era. His reputation started to build while he was still studying at the Milan Conservatory, and his first operatic hit came in 1893 with Manon Lescaut. From there he enjoyed a run of success interrupted only by his death from throat cancer caused by his heavy tobacco use. His operas such as Tosca and Madama Butterfly took the Italian verismo tradition to its greatest heights.