L'Italiano singer Toto Cutugno has passed away at the age of 80
Surely everyone has had a catchy tune from his song "L'Italiano". Toto Cutugno died at the age of 80 after a long illness.
The Italian singer Toto Cutugno ("L'Italiano") is dead. He died on Tuesday at the age of 80 after a long illness in Milan, as his dpa management confirmed on request. Several Italian media and the Ansa news agency previously reported.
I am an italian A real Italian.
In what is probably his most famous song, the singer Toto Cutugno sang about every imaginable Italian stereotype. In "L'Italiano" (The Italian), known to most as the refrain "Lasciatemi cantare" (Let me sing), he sang about the Fiat 600, menthol shaving cream and the blue pinstripe suit. Of course, the spaghetti - "al dente" mind you - and the strong espresso could not be missing. More clichés are hardly possible. But the song became a hit in 1983 and Cutugno captivated an audience of millions.
Toto Cotugno: Liked to perform in Russia
Cutugno was one of the superstars in Italy - a presenter even described him as the ambassador of Italian music in the world at a recent radio appearance. 100 million albums sold testify to his fame. He took part in the legendary Sanremo Festival a total of 15 times as an interpreter - but he only won the competition once: in 1980 with the song "Solo noi" (Only we). He composed the songs for Sanremo participants 15 more times. He also made a name for himself beyond the borders of the Mediterranean country in the 1980s and 1990s. In addition to his top hit "L'Italiano", he is known for his victory in the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest.
In addition to Germany, the Italian is also very popular in Russia. He gave many concerts there. When he received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Sanremo in 2013, he sang with the "Choir of the Red Army". He recently clarified that he enjoyed performing in Russia, but:
I'm a friend of the Russians, not Putin's. But let's leave Putin where he is. I wish him all the bad things in the world.
Toto Cutugno
In 1943 he was born Salvatore Cutugno in the small Tuscan community of Fosdinovo to Sicilian parents. He and his family ended up in La Spezia in Liguria. He was interested in music early on: he learned drums and accordion. As a young man he sang in a band.
Cutugno had already established himself as a successful songwriter in the 1970s: he wrote songs for stars such as Mireille Mathieu, Dalida, Gérard Lenorman and Adriano Celentano. In 1983 he made his international breakthrough as a singer: in Sanremo he performed with "L'Italiano". It placed fourth, however the song was a huge hit worldwide.
In 1990 Cutugno wins the ESC
Later, Cutugno shone above all with his victory at the Eurovision Song Contest 1990 in Zagreb with the European anthem "Insieme 1992" (Eng. "Together"). He sang about bringing the different nations of Europe together. Given the current events surrounding the fall of the Iron Curtain, Cutugno hit the right mood for the show. "Unite, unite, Europe" was the English refrain. From Italy, victory at the Grand Prix in front of Cutugno was only achieved by Gigliola Cinquetti in 1964 and after him in 2021 by the rock group MÃ¥neskin.
In the 1990s things got quieter around Cutugno. His moderate success after his two top hits did not detract from his popularity. Above all, "L'Italiano" is so associated with Italy that even people of younger generations can sing along. In late 2022, a video went viral of French AC Milan star Olivier Giroud singing Cutugno's song in the car.
Cutugno - a master of Italo-Pop
Many Italian pop songs or tearjerkers work like Cutugno's song. From Al Bano & Romina Power with "Felicità " to "Sarà perché ti amo" by Ricchi E Poveri to Umberto Tozzi's "Ti amo" - they all export pure Italian feeling to their foreign fans. Cutugno is representative of this type of cliché-hugging music: "Because I'm proud of it."
In old age, the full-blooded Italian was plagued primarily by health problems. In 2007 he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Cutugno revealed in a later interview that he owes his life to his colleague Al Bano. After Cutugno revealed his ailments to him, he had persuaded him to see a doctor. "The doctor then wouldn't let me out of the hospital. He immediately said it was a serious matter, I had metastases," Cutugno said on Italian radio. Surgery and therapy cured him.
2010 for the last time at the Sanremo Festival
At the beginning of the 2000s he dared to step onto the big stage again: in 2005 he reached second place in Sanremo together with the singer Annalisa Minetti. In 2010 Cutugno took part in the Sanremo Festival for the last time.