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Salvatore "Toto" Cutugno ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}; 7 July 1943 – 22 August 2023) was an Italian pop singer-songwriter, musician, and television presenter. He was best known for his worldwide hit song, "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}", released on his 1983 album of the same title. Cutugno also won the Eurovision Song Contest 1990 held in Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia, with the song "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}", for which he wrote both the lyrics and music. He has been described as "one of the most popular singers in Italy and a symbol of Italian melody abroad",<ref name="rai" /> as well as "one of the most popular Italian performers on a global scale" and "one of the most successful Italian songwriters of all time",<ref name=voce>Template:Cite news</ref> selling over 100 million records worldwide.<ref name="rai" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Early lifeEdit

Toto Cutugno was born on 7 July 1943<ref name="curcio"/> in Tendola,<ref name="fam"/> a borough of Fosdinovo, Lunigiana, Tuscany, to a Sicilian sea marshal father from Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto and a housewife mother from Tuscany.<ref name="curcio" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Shortly after his birth the family moved to the nearby city of La Spezia, Liguria.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

CareerEdit

File:Cutugno Albatros.png
Cutugno (center) with Albatros

Cutugno began his musical career as a drummer, and at 19 he founded his first band, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref name="curcio" /> He later formed the disco band Albatros together with Lino Losito and Mario Limongelli.<ref name=curcio>Template:Cite book</ref> He also started a career as a songwriter, contributing some of French-American singer Joe Dassin most well-known songs such as "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}", "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}", and "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" (written with Vito Pallavicini).<ref name="curcio" /><ref>{{#ifeq: | yes | https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p141620/songs{{

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}}</ref> He also co-wrote Dalida's "Monday Tuesday... Laissez moi danser" ("{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" in its Italian version), which achieved Platinum record status shortly after being released, as well as songs for Johnny Hallyday, Mireille Mathieu, Ornella Vanoni, Domenico Modugno, Claude François, Gigliola Cinquetti, Gérard Lenorman, Michel Sardou, Hervé Vilard, and Paul Mauriat.<ref name="rai" /><ref name="curcio" />

In 1976, Albatros participated for the first time in the Sanremo Music Festival finishing in third place with the song "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}". Following another chart success with the song "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}", in 1978 Cutugno left Albatros to concentrate on his solo career.<ref name="curcio" /> The same year he had his first solo hit with "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}", the opening song of the Mike Bongiorno's RAI TV show {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref name="rai" /> In 1979, he wrote Adriano Celentano's number one hit "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}".<ref name="curcio" />

In 1980, Cutugno returned to the Sanremo Music Festival and won the competition with the song "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" ("Only us").<ref name="curcio" /><ref name=music>Template:Cite book</ref> However, Cutugno's affiliation with the festival is mostly remembered for "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" ("The Italian"), a song he presented in 1983. Originally intended for Adriano Celentano – who declined to sing it because, despite liking the song, he did not feel comfortable singing the refrain {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ("I am a true Italian")<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> – "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}"'s recapitulation of some of Italy's most popular social traits made the song very popular with Italian expats. Although the song finished only fifth in Sanremo, it went on to become Cutugno's biggest international hit.<ref name="curcio" /> Cutugno would finish second in six more editions of the Sanremo festival: in 1984 with the song "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" ("Serenade"); in 1987 with "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" ("Children"); in 1988 with "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" ("Emotions"); in 1989 with the song "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" ("Mothers"); in 1990 with the song "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" ("Loves", but entitled "Good Love Gone Bad" in Ray Charles's version); and in 2005 with Annalisa Minetti with the song "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" ("No one else in the world like us"); a record which would lead him to be nicknamed "the eternal second" ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}).<ref name="voce" /><ref name="music" /> Cutugno shares the record for the highest number of participations in the festival – 15, namely in 1976, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1997, 2005, 2008, and 2010; one of only five artists (Template:As of), the others being Al Bano, Anna Oxa, Milva and Peppino di Capri.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2013, Cutugno was awarded a lifetime career award at the Sanremo Festival.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

As a songwriter, during the 1980s Cutugno composed hit songs for numerous artists, notably Miguel Bosé (the Festivalbar winning song "Super Superman"), Adriano Celentano ("{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}"), Luis Miguel ("{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}"), Fausto Leali ("{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}"), Peppino di Capri ("{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}"), Ricchi e Poveri ("{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}"), Fiordaliso ("{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" and "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}").<ref name="curcio" /><ref name="music" /> Starting from 1987, when he co-hosted with Lino Banfi the Sunday television show {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Cutugno also had a successful career as a television presenter.<ref name=Grasso>Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1990, at the refusal of Sanremo winners Pooh, Cutugno, who had placed second, was invited to represent Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest in Zagreb.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He went on to win the contest with his own original composition "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" ("Together: 1992"), a ballad which celebrated European political integration and the establishment of the European Union.<ref name="music" /> Aged 46 years, 302 days, Cutugno became the oldest winner of the contest to date, surpassing the record set by André Claveau in 1958. Cutugno's record stood until 2000, when the Olsen Brothers won the contest.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Along with Gigliola Cinquetti, Italy's earlier Eurovision winner, he presented the 1991 contest, which was staged in Rome as a result of his victory.<ref name="music" /> Italy would only win again with Måneskin in 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2014, he was the main subject of a Facebook page, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Lit), which in a short time became an internet phenomenon, attracting thousands of likes, sharings and comments; the case eventually became the subject of a study of the Institute for Advanced Study in Pavia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2016, he returned to collaborate with Adriano Celentano, co-writing the song "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" for the Mina–Celentano album {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Outside of Italy, Cutugno often toured in the United States, regularly performing in New York City and Atlantic City; he also toured Australia three times, represented by Italo-Australian impresario Duane Zigliotto. Countries where he was very popular include Germany, Spain, Romania, Turkey and Russia,<ref name="voce" /> where in 2013 he performed "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" accompanied by the Red Army Choir.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In March 2019, a group of politicians from the Ukrainian Parliament tried to stop Cutugno from performing in Kyiv, demanding through an open letter to the head of the country's security services, Vasyl Hrytsak, to ban the singer from entering Ukrainian territory, labelling him as "a Russian war supporter in Ukraine" – probably because of his success in Russia and his relationship with the Red Army Choir.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Two days before, fellow Italian singer Al Bano had been blacklisted on the Ukrainian website Myrotvorets.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Cutugno rejected the accusations, describing himself as apolitical and highlighting how he had refused to perform in Crimea following its 2014 Russian occupation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Despite the controversy, the concert was eventually held in Kyiv on 23 March.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The same year, Cutugno had his last significant television role as one of the coaches in the musical show {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In August of that same year, he made one of his last live performances, as a guest in Jovanotti's Jova Beach Tour.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life and deathEdit

When he was five, Cutugno witnessed the death of his seven-year-old sister Anna, who choked on a gnocchi. His other siblings included Roberto and Rosanna (the first child to receive heart surgery in Italy, in Turin).<ref name="fam" /><ref name="early">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Cutugno was married to Carla from 1971 until his death.<ref name="fam">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1990, he had a son from an extramarital relationship.<ref name="fam"/><ref name="early"/>

In 2007, Cutugno was diagnosed with prostate cancer with metastases reaching his kidneys, undergoing surgery and having his right kidney removed. He regarded his colleague Al Bano as the one who helped him to discover the cancer in time and who assisted him in the situation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Cutugno died from prostate cancer at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, on 22 August 2023, aged 80.<ref name=rai>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

DiscographyEdit

Studio albumsEdit

  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (1978)<ref name="dis">Template:Cite book</ref>
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (1979)<ref name="dis" />
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (1980)<ref name="dis" />
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (1982)<ref name="dis" />
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (1983)<ref name="dis" /><ref>San Remo Song Festival 1983 Template:Webarchive Template:In lang</ref>
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (1985)<ref name="dis" />
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (1986)<ref name="dis" />
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (1987)<ref name="dis" />
  • Toto Cutugno (1990)<ref name="dis" />
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (1990)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (1991)<ref name="dis" />
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (1995)<ref name="dis" />
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (1997)<ref name="dis" />
  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (2002)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (2004)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (2005)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (2008)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

With AlbatrosEdit

  • Albatros (1976)<ref name="dis" />

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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