That Eric Alper

It is with a heavy heart, but a spirit full of gratitude for the music she left behind, that we say goodbye to one of Italy’s brightest stars. On November 21, 2025, the legendary Ornella Vanoni passed away peacefully at her home in Milan. She was 91 years old.

For those of us who grew up with Italian music, Ornella wasn’t just a singer; she was a mood. She was the sophisticated voice of Milan, a woman who could turn a simple pop song into a theatrical masterpiece, and a fiery redhead who lived life entirely on her own terms. From the theatre stages of the 1950s to the viral playlists of the 2020s, she remained timeless.

As we bid farewell to this icon, here are 50 things you need to know about the woman who captured the heart of Italy—and eventually, the world.

1. She was born on September 22 1934 in Milan.
2. She died on November 21 2025 at age 91.
3. She was one of Italy’s longest standing musical artists.
4. Her career lasted almost seventy years.
5. She released about 121 works across LPs EPs and compilations.
6. She sold more than 65 million records worldwide.
7. She began as a theatre actress in 1960.
8. She trained under director Giorgio Strehler.
9. She performed at the Piccolo Teatro early in her career.
10. She specialized in Bertolt Brecht productions.
11. Her early songs focused on Milan’s criminal underworld.
12. This earned her the nickname cantante della mala.
13. She often sang in the Milanese dialect.
14. She scored major hits in 1963 with “Senza fine” and “Che cosa c’e”.
15. Both songs were written for her by Gino Paoli.
16. She won the Festival of Neapolitan Song in 1964 with “Tu si na cosa grande”.
17. She performed at Sanremo in 1965 with “Abbracciami forte”.
18. She returned to Sanremo in 1966 with “Io ti daro di piu”.
19. She sang “La musica e finita” at Sanremo in 1967.
20. Her 1968 Sanremo entry “Casa Bianca” finished second.
21. “Casa Bianca” later became the subject of a copyright dispute.
22. She sang “Eternita” at Sanremo in 1970.
23. She recorded “Una ragione di piu” in the late 1960s.
24. She also recorded “Un’ora sola ti vorrei” during that era.
25. Her song “L’appuntamento” was a Brazilian cover by Erasmo and Roberto Carlos.
26. She covered Burt Bacharach’s “Don’t Make Me Over” as “Non dirmi niente”.
27. She performed the theme song for Lucio Fulci’s 1972 film “Don’t Torture a Duckling”.
28. In 1976 she collaborated with Vinicius de Moraes and Toquinho.
29. That collaboration produced the album “La voglia la pazzia l’incoscienza l’allegria”.
30. She released “Ricetta di donna” in the 1980s.
31. She released “Uomini” during the same decade.
32. She returned to Sanremo in 1989 with “Io come faro”.
33. She recorded “Alberi” with Enzo Gragnaniello in 1999.
34. She released a duets album with Gino Paoli in 2004.
35. She also starred in stage and television productions.
36. She posed for Italian Playboy in January 1977.
37. She requested a statuette by Arnaldo Pomodoro as payment for the shoot.
38. “L’appuntamento” gained worldwide recognition after appearing in “Ocean’s Twelve”.
39. The song was also featured in the 2022 Netflix film “Toscana”.
40. She had significant relationships with Giorgio Strehler and Gino Paoli.
41. She married Lucio Ardenzi in 1960.
42. She had one son Cristiano in 1962.
43. Her parents helped raise Cristiano during her busiest years.
44. She received an honorary degree from the University of Milan in June 2025.
45. The degree was in Music Culture Media and Performance.
46. She was a Protestant.
47. She died of a heart attack at home in Milan.
48. Before her funeral she was laid at the Piccolo Teatro where her career began.
49. She released the album “Unica” in January 2021.
50. “Unica” features collaborations with Francesco Gabbani Carmen Consoli and Virginia Raffaele.

Ornella Vanoni leaves behind a monumental legacy. Her voice traveled across genres languages decades films and stages. And even now in her passing she remains what she always was: unmistakably and unapologetically Ornella.