Eternal second to Sanremo: who is Toto Cutugno?

Italian musician Salvatore (Toto) Cutugno, the performer of the world-renowned song "L'Italiano (Italian)", passed away.

According to the news of the Italian ANSA agency, the famous musician, who was treated at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan for a while, passed away at the age of 80.

His manager, Danilo Mancuso, stated that Cutugno's condition has worsened in recent months due to the illness he has been fighting for a long time.

Born on July 7, 1943, the artist became one of the popular names of Italian pop and pop rock music in his music career that started in the 1960s.

Salvatore "Toto" Cutugno (7 July 1943 – 22 August 2023) was an Italian pop singer-songwriter and musician. He was best known for his worldwide hit song, "L'Italiano", released on his 1983 album of the same title. Cutugno also won the Eurovision Song Contest 1990 held in Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia, with the song "Insieme: 1992", for which he wrote both the lyrics and music. He has been described as "one of the most popular singers in Italy and a symbol of Italian melody abroad",[1] as well as "one of the most popular Italian performers on a global scale" and "one of the most successful Italian songwriters of all time", selling over 100 million records worldwide.

Cutugno gained worldwide fame in 1983 with the song "L'Italiano (Italian)", also known for the refrain "Lasciatemi Cantare (Let me sing)".

The artist also won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1990, representing Italy, with the song "Insieme (Together): 1992".

CONDITIONS FROM PRIME MINISTER MELONI

The news of the death of the artist, who was the composer and lyricist of many songs in his music career, created a wide repercussions throughout the country.

The Italian press wrote that Cutugno "is a name that has managed to carry the simplicity and tradition of Italian music abroad".

ANSA agency announced the news of his death to its readers with the headline, "Toto Cutugno, who became a symbol abroad with the song "L'Italiano".

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni used the phrase "Goodbye to Toto Cutugno, a true Italian", referring to the lyrics in the artist's song "L'Italiano".

Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said, "With the death of Toto Cutugno, the music world lost a popular and important performer. He was an artist admired abroad with the pride of being Italian. He also showed his talent as a songwriter. In this painful moment, I am with his family and relatives" shared your message.

Who?

Born on July 7, 1943, to a Sicilian family in Tuscany, Salvatore Cutugno was one of the regulars of the Sanremo Music Festival, which inspired the Eurovision Song Contest. Although he won the competition with Solo Noi in 1980, he was remembered as "Sanremo's eternal runner-up" in this competition, where he was runner-up six times. In 2007, Cutugno was diagnosed with prostate cancer, attending Sanremo for the last time in 2010.

In 1990, he participated in the Eurovision Song Contest representing Italy and won first place with the song "Insieme (Together): 1992", which he wrote for the founding of the European Union (EU). Despite all these achievements, his main work, which introduced him to the whole world, was his million-selling 1983 album and the song L'Italiano. Even as we read these lines, we may be humming these lines: “Lasciate mi Cantare (Let me sing), con la chitarra in mano (with my hand on my guitar)…”

This song was originally written for Adriano Celentano, but Celentano refused to read it. This song, whose fame spread all over the world, took the first place in the charts in France, Switzerland, and Portugal in a short time and even a cover titled "I am a Finn" became a hit in Finland.

In recent years, Cutugno has also come to the fore with his political affinities. In 2019, members of the Ukrainian parliament tried to ban Cutugno from performing in Kyiv, claiming he was a supporter of Russia. Cutugno denied having any personal friendships with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he only shook his hand once after the concert.