Lucio Dalla,one of Italy’s most prolific singer-songwriters, died Thursday in Switzerland during a European concert tour, his management company said.
Dalla, 68, apparently died of a heart attack in a Montreux hotel after eating breakfast, according to Ph.D srl Music Management, which is based in his native city of Bologna, Italy.
"(Dalla was) a strong and original voice who contributed to renew and promote Italian song in the world. He was an artist beloved by so many Italians of several generations," the president said in a condolence message.
His version of Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" was performed in Rome's Santa Cecilia auditorium in 1997. He also wrote an opera "Tosca. Amore disperato," inspired by Puccini's Tosca.
"He was a writer and original voice that contributed to the renewed popularity and promotion of Italian songs around the world," said Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.
Dalla, 68, apparently died of a heart attack in a Montreux hotel after eating breakfast, according to Ph.D srl Music Management, which is based in his native city of Bologna, Italy.
"(Dalla was) a strong and original voice who contributed to renew and promote Italian song in the world. He was an artist beloved by so many Italians of several generations," the president said in a condolence message.
His version of Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" was performed in Rome's Santa Cecilia auditorium in 1997. He also wrote an opera "Tosca. Amore disperato," inspired by Puccini's Tosca.
"He was a writer and original voice that contributed to the renewed popularity and promotion of Italian songs around the world," said Italian President Giorgio Napolitano.
Much of Dalla’s work was inspired by his passion for the sea. He had a home on the Tremiti Islands, a tiny archipelago off Italy’s southeastern coast.
"(He) lived his whole life with the desire to amaze and the desire to be amazed," Italian singer Claudio Baglioni was quoted as saying by the Italian news agency LaPresse.
