Legendary Italian singer Toto Cutugno has died

Legendary Italian singer Salvatore Cutugno or rather known as Toto Cutugno has died. The star, whose music has remained relevant for decades, was 80 years old.

The famous artist and songwriter died in San Raffaele Hospital in Milan on August 22 at about 16:00, where he was hospitalized, the ANSA agency reported. The news was confirmed by the artist's manager.

Health problems and cause of death

A representative of the star said that "after a prolonged illness, the singer got worse". The performer suffered for the past few months. About 15 years ago it became known that the star was diagnosed with oncology, but it is unknown whether it was the cause of death.

Peak of popularity

Toto Cutugno was known to fans of good music all over the world. The star's melodic tracks and rousing tunes have been hummed for generations. He began his musical career as a drummer, started his band playing his songs and later became a solo performer.

His hits include L'italiano, Solo Noi, Serenata, Donna Mia and others.

The artist was also known for his collaborations with performers such as Adriano Celentano and Joe Dassin, to whom he wrote the entire repertoire, as well as Dalida.

He won the 1990 Eurovision Song Contest in Zagreb, cementing his worldwide fame.

Why the singer was adored in the USSR and after the collapse of the Union

The singer never stayed at home. As soon as his hits began to be loved all over the world, he performed in different corners of the planet. The artist did not ignore the post-Soviet space.

Toto Cutugno was a very frequent guest both in Ukraine and Russia. He performed Chervona Ruta in Ukrainian many times, delighting the audience.

In 2006, for example, Toto Cutugno flew to Kyiv directly from Moscow to perform at the Ukraine Palace in front of Viktor Yushchenko's family and fans of his art. The media quoted the singer as saying: "I am sure that Ukraine will soon enter Europe".

In November 2009 the performer came to Kyiv again and gave a concert together with Adriano Celentano's son Giacomo. This was followed by several more concerts in different cities. The last time the performer sang for Ukrainians in 2019.

The scandal over "support for the annexation of Crimea"

Ahead of a concert in 2019, a scandal erupted around the artist's stance on Russian aggression. He was accused of supporting the annexation of Crimea and friendship with Putin, although the star's manager claimed that Toto had refused to give concerts in Crimea.

The artist positioned himself as an "apolitical" performer but rocked out in front of the Russian flag with the Russian military and congratulated Putin on his birthday.

The star later said that he did not support the occupation of Crimea in a commentary to TSN.

The announcement of Toto's concert in the Kremlin appeared in Russian cities many times, but it was allegedly postponed because of the pandemic. The last date specified was November 12, 2022. The performance did not take place. The reason was not explained.

Earlier OBOZREVATEL wrote that British actor Darren Kent, known for his roles in Game of Thrones and Mirrors, died at the age of 35.

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