Found out at The Guardian of the passing of Toto Cutugno, the singer whose cliche-ridden but irresistibly catchy L'Italiano defined ideas of Italian culture to millions of listeners across Europe and Russian at the age of 80 of prostate cancer.

Born Salvatore Cutugno to Sicilian parents in Tuscany, the singer was for a decade a regular at the Sanremo music festival, the Italian institution that served as inspirational for the Eurovision song contest.

He won the contest in 1980 with Solo Noi but finished in second place six times, winning him a reputation as Sanremo's eternal runner-up.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/22/toto-cutugno-whose-song-litaliano-was-no-1-across-europe-dies-at-80

R.I.P. Toto, you'll be missed and you're great L'Italiano best #1 singer of all-time.