“With the death of Ornella Vanoni, Italy loses one of its most original and refined artists. With her unique voice and unparalleled interpretive ability, she wrote important pages in the history of Italian song, theater, and entertainment,” recalled the minister in a statement.
Born in Milan, Italy, in 1934, Ornella Vanoni is regarded as one of the greatest ladies of Italian song, with major hits such as “Senza Fine,” alongside Gino Paoli, a song that became a classic of Italian music.
With more than seven decades of continuous activity, Vanoni built one of the most extensive and versatile careers in Italian popular music, marked by her ability to evolve, according to critics.
She began her career as an actress at the age of 18, after graduating from the Piccolo Teatro of Milan, before making a definitive leap into the music industry.
In the mid-1960s, she gained notoriety with the “Canzoni della Mala,” a project dedicated to stories of Milan’s marginal life that revealed her straightforward and unconventional interpretive style.
Her presence at the Sanremo Festival — where she participated eight times — cemented her public image and popularity, with songs such as “Casa Bianca,” which took her to the podium in 1968.
Vanoni developed an artistic career spanning more than six decades marked by successes, collaborations, and a constant presence in the musical and theatrical scene in Italy.
Throughout her long career, she recorded more than fifty albums and remained active until the end: among her latest works was a collaboration with popular Italian singer Mahmood, with whom she released a version of her song “Sant’allegria” in 2024.
An iconic figure of Italian culture, her presence remained vibrant on television and on theater and music stages, where she stood out for her interpretive elegance, irony, and ability to reinvent herself without losing her identity.
