Toto Cutugno, a prominent figure among the greatest interpreters of Italian music, passed away on Tuesday at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan.
His manager, Danilo Mancuso, informed ANSA about the demise of the singer-songwriter, who had recently celebrated his 80th birthday in July.
Mancuso explained that Cutugno’s health had deteriorated over the past few months following an extended illness.
Cutugno’s global influence in the realm of Italian music was substantial.
He secured victory in the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest with his composition “Insieme: 1992”.
Notably, he earned recognition as one of Italy’s most accomplished songwriters, contributing pieces for artists like Dalida, Adriano Celentano, and Domenico Modugno. Regarded as an authentic envoy of Italian musical culture around the world, particularly in countries such as Romania, Spain, Turkey, Germany, and Russia, his 1983 release “L’Italiano” has transcended language barriers to become a emblem of Italian identity and heritage.
Toto Cutugno’s connection with the Sanremo Music Festival spanned fifteen occasions, with his sole victory achieved in 1980 through the song “Solo noi”.
While his appearances resulted in six second-place finishes, featuring compositions like “Serenata”, “Figli”, “Emozioni”, and “Le mamme”, he often embraced the good-natured moniker of the “eternal second” of Sanremo. This humorous tagline, akin to “always a bridesmaid, never a bride”, didn’t dampen his spirits, and he consistently maintained an attitude of irony and elegance in response to it.
