Ornella Vanoni, one of Italy’s most iconic and influential singers, has died at age 91. She passed away from cardiac arrest at her home in Milan. Known as “The Lady of Italian Song,” Vanoni recorded over 100 albums, sold more than 55 million records, and left a profound mark on Italian music with classics like Senza Fine and L’appuntamento. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni honored her voice and legacy as “unrepeatable.”

Born in 1934, Vanoni first trained in theater before turning to music, where her collaborations with Gino Paoli launched her to stardom. Over her seven-decade career, she blended jazz, pop, and folk, worked with major international artists, and even gained renewed global attention when L’appuntamento appeared in Ocean’s Twelve.

Her life was full of artistic experimentation, bold choices, and complex relationships. She remained active and outspoken well into her later years, inspiring fashion legends like Versace, Armani, and Valentino, and charming audiences with her wit and emotional honesty. Vanoni participated eight times in the Sanremo Festival and twice won the Tenco Award — the only Italian woman to do so. Her final wish reflected her elegance and independence: she wanted an inexpensive coffin, to be cremated, and for her ashes to be scattered at sea — perhaps in Venice — wearing a Dior dress.