Gino Paoli’s tribute to Ornella Vanoni, after her death
An old black and white photo with him sitting at the piano and her leaning on the instrument and a black heart. This is how Gino Paoli paid homage to Ornella Vanoni, on social media, after learning the news of the singer’s death, to whom he was also romantically linked. Vanoni, 91 years old, died last night in her home in Milan due to cardiac arrest. Paoli, also 91 years old (she was born on September 22nd, he on the 23rd), learned the news this morning. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to tell him, it will be really difficult”, the singer-songwriter’s wife, Paola Penzo, commented to Corriere della Sera last night. Vanoni was still a constant presence in the life of the Paoli family: “She was supposed to come and visit us in a few days, we were waiting for her.”
The two met in 1960, when they were both linked to the Ricordi record company: “When love broke out with Gino Paoli, he was married and I got married shortly after. Tremendous suffering, nothing but scandal”, said Vanoni, alluding to her marriage to the theater impresario Lucio Ardenzi. From the union with the latter in 1962 the singer’s only son, Cristiano, was born. The couple separated in 1965 and the singer admitted that she had never loved the impresario. The love between Vanoni and Paoli inspired songs written by the singer-songwriter such as “Senza fine” and “Che cosa c’è”. In 1985 the two toured Italy together and it was an extraordinary success from which the album “Together” was taken.
