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Gino Paoli, Architect of Italian Song, Dies at 91

Tributes across Italy underscore his place in the nation's songbook.

Overview

  • Paoli, whose family confirmed his death Tuesday in Genoa, was 91.
  • Political leaders and stars, including foreign minister Antonio Tajani, Eros Ramazzotti and Laura Pausini, praised his influence in public tributes.
  • He wrote Sapore di sale, Il cielo in una stanza and Senza fine, songs that helped define Italy’s 1960s pop sound and were widely popularized by Mina.
  • He survived a 1963 gunshot to his chest, living for decades with a bullet lodged near the sac around his heart.
  • His passing comes four months after the death of singer Ornella Vanoni, his longtime muse and partner, a pairing obituaries frame as the close of an era for Italy’s great cantautori.