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She collaborated with some of the world’s greatest musicians, including Gil Evans, Herbie Hancock, George Benson, and Brazilian master Toquinho.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni paid tribute on X, describing Vanoni’s voice as “unmistakable” and her artistic legacy as “one of the most valuable and irreplaceable treasures of Italian culture.”
For millions, her passing feels like the end of an era — a farewell to the last great diva of Italy’s golden age of music.
From Privilege to Passion: The Early Years
Born in Milan in 1934 into a well-off Lombard family, Ornella Vanoni grew up surrounded by elegance, culture, and opportunity.
But her true identity was shaped not by privilege, but by her fierce inner fire — a passion for expression that soon guided her toward the stage.
She studied theatre in Switzerland, Britain, and France, honing the expressive intensity that would later define her music.
But even with all her education, nothing prepared her for the overwhelming fear she felt before stepping onto the stage of Milan’s Piccolo Teatro for the very first time.
In her memoir Vincente o perdente (“Winner or Loser”), Vanoni wrote: “There are birth dates that are not recorded in paperwork but which are, instead, the days when you finally become who you really are.”
For her, that day was the moment she stepped under the stage lights and allowed herself to tremble, feel, and ultimately shine.
The Loves That Shaped Her Art
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