She possessed that velvety voice capable of turning from whisper to storm gentle, powerful, unmistakable. Ornella Vanoni, one of the great interpreters of Italian musica leggera, died on November 21, 2025, in Milan, the city of her birth. With her passes, one of the most distinctive, elegant and prolific figures in Italian music.
Before becoming a singer, Vanoni was an actress. Trained at Milan’s Piccolo Teatro, she made her debut in 1960 under the direction of Giorgio Strehler, her mentor and companion, performing in Brecht’s plays. It was there she developed her mastery of text, nuance and emotional presence, foundations of her future musical identity.
Her early songs, rooted in Milanese folk traditions and tales of the malavita, already revealed the warmth and depth of her unmistakable timbre.
Success came swiftly. In 1961, Senza fine and Che cosa c’è by Gino Paoli launched her into the spotlight. Three years later, she won the Naples Festival with Tu si 'na cosa grande. Soon she became a recurring figure at the Sanremo Festival, performing some of her most famous titles: Abbracciami forte, La musica è finita, Casa bianca, and Eternità.
In the early 1970s, Vanoni released a string of hits, including Una ragione di più, Domani è un altro giorno, and the now-legendary L’appuntamento, the Italian version of Sentado à beira do caminho. These songs would become enduring classics.
In 1971 she recorded Il disertore, the Italian adaptation of Boris Vian’s anti-war song, and later began a celebrated artistic friendship with Vinicius de Moraes and Toquinho, leading to the 1976 album La voglia, la pazzia, l’incoscienza e l’allegria.
During the 1980s and 1990s, she continued to reinvent herself, collaborating with major artists such as George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Franco Califano, and her lifelong musical partner Gino Paoli. In 1999, she became the first woman in Sanremo’s history to receive a lifetime achievement award.
Vanoni was a singer and a film actress, a television host, and a captivating public figure known for her fiery curls and candid personality. Her latest album, Diverse (2024), reimagined her greatest hits, proving her creative energy remained intact even into her nineties.
“With her unique voice and extraordinary interpretive talent, she shaped the history of Italian music and performance,” noted Italy’s Minister of Culture after her passing. Her legacy made of more than 112 works and over 65 million records sold, remains immense. Ornella Vanoni didn’t just sing Italy. She became part of its cultural soul.
With AFP
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