Beloved Italian singer Ornella Vanoni, whose iconic career spanned 70 years, dies at 91

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Ornella Vanoni, a beloved performer who had a seven decade-long singing career with such international hits as “Senza Fine” and “L’appuntamento,” has died. She was 91.

In a post on X Saturday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her deep sorrow for the loss of Vanoni, whose “unmistakable voice” left an imprint on Italian culture for generations. “Italy loses a unique artist who leaves us with an unrepeatable artistic heritage,” Meloni said.

Vanoni died of cardiac arrest at her Milan home, Italian newspaper La Stampa reported.

Vanoni recorded more than 100 albums with sales of over 55 million copies, vaulting her to iconic status among generations of fans and earning her the moniker “The Lady of Italian Song,” according to LaPresse newspaper.

Born in Milan in 1937, Vanoni’s first love was the theater, which culminated with performances on the Broadway stage in 1964. But her passion for music combined with what LaPresse described as a “highly personal and sophisticated performing style” and vast repertoire from jazz to pop led her to collaborate with some of the most important songwriters in Italy and abroad.

Vanoni’s partnership — and love affair — with famed Genovese singer-songwriter Gino Paoli produced the hit “Senza Fine” (Without End), which shot her onto the international stage in 1961.

Her later collaborations spanned a range of artistic talent including Gil Evans, Herbie Hancock and George Benson, according to Italy’s ANSA news agency.

Vanoni excelled in numerous prestigious music festival awards in Italy, including the country’s most popular Sanremo Music Festival in which she participated eight times, earning second place in 1968 with the song “Casa Bianca.”

Her talent extended into songwriting which was recognized when she twice won the prestigious Tenco Award — the only Italian singer to be awarded the prize as a songwriter and the only woman to have won it twice.

ANSA said Vanoni was much sought-after as a guest on television programs in her later years because of her unpredictable nature, the vast wealth of anecdotes she shared and her “complete indifference to political correctness.”