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Italy to honour pop icon Raffaella Carrà with €5 coin

epa09324263 (FILE) - Italian singer and television presenter Raffaella Carra poses during the presentation of the TV show 'Carramba che fortuna', Italy, 30 September 1998 (reissued 05 July 2021). Carra has died at the age of 78, her partner Sergio Japino announced on 05 July 2021. EPA-EFE/CLAUDIO ONORATI

Raffaella Carrà, the queen of Italian TV who died in July last year aged 78, is to get a five euro coin in her memory, the Italian Mint said.

The decision to dedicate a coin to the iconic showgirl, presenter, actress and singer was taken in a poll of Mint clients.

Carrà starred with Frank Sinatra in Von Ryan’s Express in 1965 and found cult TV success in Spain, Argentina and other countries, becoming a gay icon.

Carrà is also credited with boosting the sexual revolution in Catholic Italy with cheeky songs celebrating touching (Tuca tuca, 1971) and getting women to take the initiative in lovemaking (A fare l’amore comincia tu, 1976), and was slammed by the Vatican for showing her belly button on live TV in 1970.

The coin is among many tributes to the TV legend in Italy and abroad.

RAI State broadcaster has named a new studio after her.

Madrid has named a square after her.

The initiative was proposed by the Más Madrid group “in order to valorise the memory of this woman, singer, composer, presenter, dancer, choreographer and icon of reference for all the Madrileni and Madrilene and in particular for the LGTBI + community”.

Via ANSA

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