Toto Cutugno, one of the greatest interpreters of Italian music, died today around 4 p.m. at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan.
The death of the singer-songwriter, who had just turned 80 in July, was reported to ANSA by his manager Danilo Mancuso, who explained how “after a long illness, the singer’s conditions had worsened in recent months.”
Cutugno was one of the most popular Italian performers on a global scale, the winner of the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest with his song “Insieme: 1992”.
He was also one of the most successful Italian songwriters of all time, having written for artists such as Dalida, Adriano Celentano and Domenico Modugno. Cutugno was considered a veritable ambassador of Italian music in the world, especially in countries such as Romania, Spain, Turkey, Germany and Russia. His song “L’Italiano”, released in 1983, has been translated into many languages and is considered a symbol of Italian culture and identity.
Toto Cutugno participated in the Sanremo Music Festival fifteen times, but he only won once, in 1980, with the song “Solo noi”. He also came second six times, with songs such as “Serenata”, “Figli”, “Emozioni” and “Le mamme”. He is often nicknamed the “eternal second” of Sanremo, a living embodiment of the adage, “always a bridesmaid, never a bride,” but he always took the teasing with irony and grace.
He was very popular with the Italians in various countries around the world, especially among the Italian Americans who appreciated his songs that celebrate their roots and heritage. In the New York metropolitan area he frequently appeared in New York City and Atlantic City where he routinely played to an enthusiastic audience in a packed house.
