Overview
- Gino Paoli, a defining voice of Italy’s singer‑songwriters, died at home in Genoa overnight between Monday and Tuesday at the age of 91.
- The family requested a discreet goodbye with no public viewing, and family sources say his ashes will be scattered along the Boccadasse seafront.
- He wrote enduring classics such as Il cielo in una stanza, Senza fine, Sapore di sale, Una lunga storia d’amore and Quattro amici al bar, helping set the template for the modern Italian cantautore.
- His turbulent life fed his art, from a 1963 suicide attempt that left a bullet near his heart for decades to high‑profile relationships with Ornella Vanoni and Stefania Sandrelli, a later marriage to Paola Penzo, and the 2025 death of his son Giovanni.
- Obituaries root his story in Genoa and the Versilia scene—La Bussola’s nights, friendships with Tenco, Dalla and De André, and even favorite dishes at the Genovese restaurant La Piedigrotta—showing how place and community shaped his music and memory.