Italian singer Franco Battiato has reportedly died aged 76

The influential artist had supposedly been ill for some time.

Franco Battiato has died aged 76. As ANSA reports, Battiato died earlier this morning (18 May) in his home in Milo, Sicily.

The beloved Italian singer-songwriter, composer and filmmaker (who also painted under the moniker Süphan Barzani) had a career that spanned over four decades. Battiato experimented with an array of genres via his work, including pop, progressive rock, new wave, electronic and more. He was nicknamed ‘Il Maestro’ for his talents, poetic lyricism and popularity both locally and internationally.

In 1984, Battiato teamed up fellow Italian singer Alice to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song I treni di Tozeur. The pair would go onto form a long-standing collaborative relationship. Battiato was the first Italian artist to sell a million records with his 1981 LP La voce del padrone.

Italian festival C2C (formerly known as Club to Club) posted a tribute to Battiato online. The festival wrote: “Torneremo ancora”, which is the title of a studio album from Battiato and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It was released back in 2019, the same year Battiato announced his retirement. 

 

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(via ANSA)