An icon of Italian music is gone. Singer Salvatore “Toto” Cutugnole died on Tuesday August 22 following a long illness, at the age of 80. He marked Italy with his hit The Italiano, which made him famous all over the world. His death leaves the music industry in mourning.
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With our correspondent in Rome, Blandine Hugonnet
Toto Cutugno put away his guitar. ” A symbol is dead », « He conquered the world “: it is with these words that Italian media and musicians bid farewell to the artist who died on Tuesday August 22 in Milan, Lombardy. He was one of Italy’s most beloved singers, a popular figure from the late 1970s, who had a record fifteen appearances at the San Remo festival, Italy’s springboard to the Eurovision Song Contest which he won in 1990.
Both a performer of all kinds and a television host, Toto Cutugno had even won over international stages. It was a hit released in 1983 that made him a true ambassador of Italian variety abroad and gave him worldwide success. ” Let me sing, because I’m proud of it, I’m an Italian, a real Italian he sang. This title, The Italiano (Italian) has become cult and is today referred to as the national anthem in Italy.
Toto Cutugno, composer, had many successes in France too, such as And if you did not exist For Joe Dassin, Let me dance For DalidaOr Singing For Michel Sardou. By singing and composing, the Tuscan will have sold 100 million records. He will remain one of the most famous Italian artists in the world.