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Ornella Vanoni, Defining Voice of Italian Song, Dies at 91 in Milan

The death follows months of heart trouble, capped by a final call describing severe back pain.

Overview

  • Emergency responders found Vanoni lifeless at her Milan home late on Nov. 21, with Italian media reporting a cardiac arrest and her death confirmed the next day.
  • In a recent call to critic Maurizio Porro, she said she felt "strange" with stabbing back pain and planned to seek care in Pavia; on Nov. 2 she told Fabio Fazio she was unwell on air.
  • The 91-year-old had spent the summer receiving treatment for cardiac decompensation at Milan’s Monzino and Don Gnocchi facilities.
  • Tributes have poured in from artists and officials, including Fabio Fazio, Renato Zero, Laura Pausini, Vasco Rossi and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
  • Her farewell is set to follow wishes she shared publicly — a Dior dress and ashes in the sea at Venice — and Paolo Fresu says he will perform, as coverage revisits a seven-decade career with 100-plus albums and hits like Senza Fine and L’appuntamento.