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Ornella Vanoni, Defining Voice of Italian Music, Dies at 91

Her passing prompted national tributes saluting a seven-decade career across theater, song, television.

Overview

  • The singer and actress died at home in Milan on the night of Friday, 21 November 2025, with local media reporting cardiac arrest.
  • Italian authorities confirmed her death, and Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli and Chamber of Deputies president Lorenzo Fontana issued public tributes.
  • Trained at Milan’s Piccolo Teatro under Giorgio Strehler, she became a fixture of Italian popular song with classics including L’appuntamento, La musica è finita and Senza fine.
  • Her Sanremo record spans eight participations, a 1968 podium with Casa bianca and a 1999 career honor as the festival’s first such recipient.
  • She recorded dozens of albums, sold tens of millions of records, collaborated with artists from Gino Paoli to Herbie Hancock and George Benson, and released a 2024 track with Mahmood.