Gino Paoli, doyen of Italian singer-songwriters, has died

Gino Paoli has died at 91, one of the great protagonists of the transformation of Italian song in the post-war era. "Tonight Gino left us peacefully, surrounded by the love of his family," the Paoli family said in a statement asking for the utmost privacy.

Through his songs, Paoli helped redefine the language of the Italian music scene, anticipating many traits of the modern singer-songwriter tradition. His body of work became a permanent part of the country's collective memory, from "Il cielo in una stanza" to "Senza fine", from "Sapore di sale" to "La gatta", right through to later hits such as "Una lunga storia d'amore" and "Quattro amici al bar".

Born in Monfalcone in 1934 but raised in Genoa, Paoli came up within the milieu that would give rise to the so-called Genoese school, alongside Luigi Tenco, Bruno Lauzi, Umberto Bindi and Fabrizio De André. It was a scene fueled by French chanson from songwriters like Georges Brassens and Jacques Brel, and by a more literary, personal idea of song, far removed from the traditional models of the time. His early path was unsteady, marked by abandoned studies, an interest in painting and a bohemian life that soon led him to Milan, where he made his first contacts with the record industry.

The turning point came in 1960, when Mina recorded "Il cielo in una stanza", turning it into a nationwide hit. Soon after, "Senza fine", performed by Ornella Vanoni, spread his fame abroad as well. His relationship with the Milanese singer, both artistic and romantic, marked a crucial phase of his career. The early Sixties brought further songs destined to become classics, including "Sapore di sale", arranged by Ennio Morricone.

Alongside his success, his biography was marked by deep instability. His relationship with Stefania Sandrelli, a minor at the time, caused a scandal; in 1963 he attempted suicide by shooting himself in the chest, surviving with the bullet still lodged in his body. Difficult years followed, marked by personal crises, alcohol and drug abuse, and a gradual disappearance from the charts.

His comeback came in the Eighties, after a long period out of the spotlight. "Una lunga storia d'amore" brought Paoli back to the center of the scene, followed by "Ti lascio una canzone" and, in 1991, by "Quattro amici al bar", his last major popular hit. During this period he also revived his partnership with Ornella Vanoni, taking it on tour to great public acclaim.

A prolific songwriter for other performers too, he wrote, among other things, "Come il sole all'improvviso" for Zucchero, and worked with an international roster of artists including Charles Aznavour and Joan Manuel Serrat. Alongside music, he also had institutional experience: he served as a member of parliament for the Italian Communist Party, part of the Independent Left group, between 1987 and 1992, and was briefly president of SIAE.

In his later years he grew increasingly close to jazz, collaborating with musicians such as Danilo Rea and bringing a more stripped-down reinterpretation of his repertoire to the stage. Reserved and reluctant to seek media exposure, Paoli maintained an independent stance to the very end, true to the individualist nature that had marked his early career. His work remains one of the central touchstones in the history of Italian song.

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