Singer’s big hit, stuffed with cliches about Italian life, was irresistible to millions as far away as Russia and Georgia
But his greatest success was 1983’s L’Italiano, a song the newspaper Corriere Della Sera described as the “Christian Democrats ofOriginally penned for the more charismatic singer Adriano Celentano, who turned it down, and better known under its chorus Lasciatemi Cantare, the song left no cliche of Italian culture untouched. “Let me sing, I’m an Italian”, it announced itself, namedropping spaghetti al dente, shaving cream with mint flavour, caffè ristretto and a “broken-down Fiat 600”.
In 2019, Ukrainian members of parliament sought to ban Cutugno from performing in Kyiv due to alleged pro-Russian sympathies but he denied a personal friendship with the Russian president, saying he had only shaken his hands after a concert once. “I am a friend of the Russians, not Putin’s,” he said. “But let’s leave Putin where he is. I wish him all the worst in the world.”
In 2007 Cutugno was diagnosed with prostate cancer, but recovered to take part in the Sanremo contest for one final time in 2010. In recent years he had largely withdrawn from public life. Italian politicians and musicians gave tributes to the singer after reports of his death on Tuesday afternoon. “Ciao Toto, great Maestro,” wrote singer Eros Ramazzotti. “We will miss you.”
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