Italian Eurovision Song Contest legend dies as tributes pour in for hit singer

23 August 2023 , 10:30

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Italian Eurovision Song Contest legend dies as tributes pour in for hit singer

Toto Cutugno, who found fame after winning the Eurovision Song Contest has died aged 80.

The singer represented Italy in the 1990 competition with his hit Solo Noi but prior to his success, he finished in second place on six occasions. Reports state that Cutugno passed away at Milan's San Raffaele hospital on Wednesday. However, his cause of death has not yet been confirmed.

Over the course of his career, the singer who was hugely successful in his home country as well as over Europe and Russia became known for hits including his iconic track, L'Italiano. Born Salvatore Cutugno, he discovered his love for music aged 19 after forming his first band, Toto e i Tati.

Toto Cutugno has died aged 80

Confirming his death, Edizioni Curci of Carosello Records said: "A little over a month after his eightieth birthday, Toto Cutugno, one of the most famous Italian artists ever, leaves us. Songwriter with over 100 million copies, an exponent of Italian music best known all over the world, a songwriter who has been able to bring the simplicity and tradition of Italian song abroad, and an artist with an extraordinary career who will continue to inspire and unite us."

But it was in 1990 he found himself internationally famous after the singing contest held in Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia with his original composition of Insieme: 1992 (translated to Together: 1992). Prior to this, he had been relatively successful in Italy, having won the Sanremo Music Festival a decade prior.

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He was married to his wife, Carla Cutgno from 1981 until his death. In the same year as his Eurovision success, he welcomed his only child, a son, Nico, from an affair. In 2007, he survived prostate cancer and underwent surgery to have his right kidney removed.

He won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1990 (WireImage)

Toto was widely celebrated across Europe (Frank Hempel/United Archives via Getty Images)

Tributes have poured in for the music legend, with one Twitter user writing: "Iconic Italian singer-songwriter Salvatore 'Toto' Cutugno, a true ambassador of Italian music, has passed away at the age of 80. His legacy includes winning the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest and penning the iconic song 'L’Italiano'. May he rest in peace."

"Rip, Salvatore Cutugno, known as Toto Cutugno, born July 7, 1943, in Fosdinovo and died August 22, 2023, in Milan, is a popular singer and Italian composer. He composed for many French singers, especially in the 1970s," said a second. A third user commented: "Toto Cutugno, real name Salvatore Cutugno, is an Italian singer. We all know him as the interpreter of the world-famous L'Italiano. He passed away at the age of 80."

Before a fourth added: "Toto Cutugno has died. He had just turned 80. Another important piece of Italian music is gone. Songs that have gone around the world will remain of him, starting with "L'italiano", a song from 1993. Ciao Salvatore RIP."

While he was celebrated across the continent, in 2019, Ukrainian members of parliament hoped to have him banned from performing in Kyiv due to claims of pro-Russian sympathies – he later denied having a friendship with Vladimir Putin, saying: "I am a friend of the Russians, not Putin's. Let's leave Putin where he is, I wish him all the worst in the world."

Daniel Bird