Italian singer and composer Franco Battiato died this Tuesday morning (18), at the age of 76.
According to his family, he died at his home in Milo, and the funeral will be held privately. The artist had been ill for a long time, but the cause of death itself was not disclosed.
In his long career, which has included songs of different genres over more than 50 years of work, Battiato has had hits such as “La Cura”, “Voglio vederti danzare” and “Centro di gravita permanent”.
Battiato's death provoked commotion among fans, politicians and other stars of Italian art.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella published a message in which he said he was “deeply saddened by the premature death of Franco Battiato, a cultured and refined artist who with his unmistakable musical style – the fruit of intense studies and feverish experimentation – fascinated a large audience, even beyond national borders.”
Singer and composer Piero Pelù used social media to speak out. “Franco Battiato, a unique and unrepeatable artist on the world panorama, left his body on this earth and set out on a journey to very distant worlds and to find his permanent center of gravity,” he wrote.
Vasco Rossi also spoke out, quoting a passage from the song "Le sacre sinfonie del tempo" (The Sacred Symphony of Time). "I feel them closer, the sacred symphonies of time, with one idea: that we are immortal," part of the post reads.
The Pontifical Academy for Life, a Vatican body, also used social media to remember Battiato's work. (HANDLE).
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