Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli on Tuesday revealed he has been infected with coronavirus but was now recovered, deeming the experience as a nightmare.

"It was a tragedy, my whole family was contaminated," Bocelli told journalists at a hospital in Pisa.

"We all had a fever -- though thankfully not high ones -- with sneezing and coughing," he said..

"I had to cancel many concerts... It was like living a nightmare because I felt like I was no longer in control of things. I was hoping to wake up at any moment," the opera singer added.

Both Bocelli and his wife have donated their blood plasma for COVID-19 study which will be used by researchers hoping to develop treatments.