Mario's voice in my mind is comparable, oh, to Giuseppe di Stefano or, if you want to go back a bit further, Beniamino Gigli. Or, of course, Luciano Pavarotti. The first two of these likewise tended to give their gorgeous voices precedence over the music as written by the composers. None of them, at least to my knowledge, shared Mario's sexual orientation, I have to add.
His taste for wine is also not unknown to tenors. I won't offer names but those familiar with the opera world know.
I have little more to add today. But I hope readers will begin to understand that this portends to be a truly spectacular Tosca, with Nick very much part of the mix.