Ornella Vanoni, the quintessential Italian singer whose illustrious career spanned more than seven decades and whose deeply expressive voice left an indelible, sophisticated mark on generations of music lovers, has passed away at the age of 91. The news came late Friday from her home in Milan, where she died from cardiac arrest. As the world pauses to mourn one of Italy’s most iconic cultural figures, attention is once again being drawn to the deeply moving and characteristically theatrical final request she once shared with the public.
Celebrated across the globe as “The Lady of Italian Song,” Vanoni’s professional achievements were staggering: she recorded over 100 albums and sold more than 55 million records during her long career. She cemented her status with unforgettable hits such as “Senza Fine” and “L’appuntamento.” Her versatile music defied borders, seamlessly blending sophisticated jazz, European pop, and folk traditions, leading to rare collaborations with global legends including Gil Evans, Herbie Hancock, and George Benson.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni publicly expressed the nation’s sorrow on X (formerly Twitter), calling Vanoni’s voice “unmistakable” and declaring her legacy to be “an unrepeatable artistic heritage” for Italy.
From Milan’s Stage to International Stardom
Vanoni’s journey to stardom was anything but conventional. Born into a well-off Milanese family in 1934, she initially focused on a career in theater, undertaking studies across Switzerland, Britain, and France. In her memoir, Vincente o perdente (“Winner or Loser”), she captured the profound personal moment of her transformation: “There are birth dates that are not recorded in paperwork but which are, instead, the days when you finally become who you really are,” she wrote, vividly recalling the terror and thrill of stepping onto the stage at Milan’s prestigious Piccolo Teatro.
Her first major love was the influential theatre director Giorgio Strehler, who was 13 years her senior. However, she soon found a destiny in music. A key collaboration—and romantic entanglement—with famed Italian singer-songwriter Gino Paoli propelled her to international fame in 1961 with the enduring hit “Senza Fine.”
Vanoni’s career was marked by immense versatility and a daring professional spirit. She earned the provocative nickname Cantante della mala (“underworld singer”) early on for her stylized songs detailing Milan’s criminal underworld. Yet, she could pivot effortlessly into refined pop, jazz, and daring collaborations with contemporary artists. Her 1970 hit “L’appuntamento,” an adaptation of the Brazilian classic Sentado à beira do caminho, introduced her to a new generation of American fans when it was prominently featured in the soundtrack of Steven Soderbergh’s film Ocean’s Twelve in 2004.
A Life of Art, Love, and Cosmopolitan Air
Her presence extended across various mediums, encompassing stage roles, television appearances, and films. In a move that shocked and delighted many in January 1977, she posed nude for the Italian edition of Playboy, famously requesting a statuette from her longtime friend, the artist Arnaldo Pomodoro, as payment.
Her life off-stage was equally vibrant and often tangled. She married Lucio Ardenzi in 1960, with whom she had a son, Cristiano, but later admitted the marriage was one of convenience rather than true love. Reflecting candidly on her complex personal history in a 2024 interview, she mused: ”I didn’t know what to do with myself. I had broken up with Strehler, who was married; I loved Paoli, who was married; I met Ardenzi, I got married.”
Even in her later years, Vanoni remained a powerful cultural force, appearing on talk shows with her signature wit, collaborating with younger artists, and offering candid reflections on the themes of aging, solitude, and the unending creative process. Her time studying at Cambridge gave her an ease with English, contributing to her polished, cosmopolitan air. In her memoir, she provided a poetic, honest self-portrait: “I am one of those women. Women on fire, fragile and full of tenderness, sheltered behind nervous outbursts, elegant detachment, and sarcasm. Desperate and happy, alone and celebrated, furious and delicate.”
Her influence reached beyond the auditory realm; she was a personal friend of Gianni Versace and an inspiration to legendary designers including Giorgio Armani and Valentino.
The Diva’s Final Wish
Vanoni participated a remarkable eight times in Italy’s prestigious Sanremo Music Festival, earning a second-place finish in 1968. She holds the distinction of being the only Italian female artist to win the acclaimed Tenco Award twice as a songwriter.
In a fashion perfectly consistent with the fiercely independent and theatrical spirit that defined her seven decades in the spotlight, Vanoni’s last wishes were delivered with characteristic flair during an appearance on the Italian TV show Che Tempo Che Fa. Her final instructions were both simple and grand:
“The coffin should be cheap because I want to be cremated. Then throw me in the sea, maybe in Venice. I have the dress. It’s by Dior.”
This striking last wish—to be scattered in the romantic waters of Venice while wearing an haute couture gown—encapsulates the complexity and elegance of Ornella Vanoni: a woman who blended high art with earthy honesty, and whose life, now concluded, remains an unrepeatable composition.
