Ornella Vanoni, one of Italy’s most distinctive singers whose voice helped define generations of popular music, has died at her home in Milan at the age of 91.
Italian media, including Corriere della Sera, La Stampa and the AGI news agency, reported that she suffered cardiac arrest late on Friday.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid tribute on Saturday, calling Vanoni’s voice “unmistakable” and saying Italy had lost “a unique artist who leaves us with an unrepeatable artistic heritage.”
A defining voice of ‘musica leggera’
Vanoni was born in Milan in 1934 and grew up in a well-to-do family that sent her to schools in Italy and across Europe.
Her first artistic home was the theatre: Milan’s Piccolo Teatro, where director Giorgio Strehler became her mentor and, for a time, her partner.
Later in life, she wrote that stepping onto the Piccolo’s stage for the first time was a moment when she “became who [she] truly was.”
The turn toward music was unexpected, but after being encouraged by Strehler, Vanoni began performing songs about Milan’s criminal underworld, earning her the nickname “Cantante della mala” (“singer of the underworld”).
However, it was her appearances at Italy’s televised song festivals in the early 1960s that brought her national attention and introduced audiences to her intimate, smoky timbre that would become her hallmark.
‘Ocean’s Twelve’ brought new audience
Over the next seven decades, Vanoni released more than 40 studio albums and recorded more than 100 in total, selling over 50 million copies worldwide.
Among her most beloved hits “Senza fine,” “L’appuntamento,” “La musica è finita” and “Una ragione di più,” stood out.
“L’appuntamento” found a new global audience when it appeared on the soundtrack of Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Twelve in 2004.
Italian PM Giorgia Meloni led the tributes for Vanoni and her ‘unmistakable’ voiceImage: Fotogramma/ROPI/picture alliance
Vanoni’s collaborations across genres and borders
The Milan-born singer’s musical range — stretching from jazz and Brazilian rhythms to Italian pop ballads — made her a sought-after collaborator.
Vanoni worked with Gino Paoli, with whom she shared both a creative partnership and a long-rumored affair, as well as international artists including Herbie Hancock, George Benson and Gil Evans.
She appeared eight times at the Sanremo Music Festival, finishing second in 1968 with “Casa Bianca,” and in 1999 became the first artist in the festival’s history to receive a career award.
She was also twice honored with the Tenco Award — a prestigious Italian award presented annually since 1974 by the Club Tenco to artists who have made a significant contribution to songwriting.
Her list of accomplishments continued as she became the only woman to win the Tenco Award twice and the only Italian artist to be recognized both as a songwriter and performer.
Cultural icon with a sharp wit
Beyond music, Vanoni became a fixture of Italian cultural life. Her distinctive red curls, elegant style and candid humor made her a popular guest on Italian television well into her later years.
She appeared on talk shows, spoke openly about her past relationships and shared stories from her long career, often with what Italian media described as a “complete indifference to political correctness.”
In her 2021 album Unica, released at age 87, she reflected on ageing, solitude and resilience.
Her memoir described her as “one of those women — on fire, fragile and full of tenderness, hidden behind nervous outbursts, elegant detachment and sarcasm.”
Vanoni, who once said she wanted her ashes scattered at sea — “maybe in Venice” — leaves behind a musical legacy that shaped Italy’s cultural landscape for more than half a century.
Edtied by: Karl Sexton