Italian singer-songwriter and director Paolo Pietrangeli dies at 76

Paolo Pietrangeli, the Italian singer-songwriter, composer, and film and television director, died at age 76. He was a major figure in Italian political folk music, known for protest songs like 'Contessa' and 'Valle Giulia' that became anthems for leftist movements in the 1960s and 1970s. Born in Rome on April 29, 1945, to costume designer Margherita Ferrone and director Antonio Pietrangeli, he joined the Gruppo del Nuovo Canzoniere Italiano in 1966. His songs gained popularity during the 1968 student protests. Alongside music, he worked as an assistant director for Mauro Bolognini, Luchino Visconti, Federico Fellini, and Paul Morrissey, and directed the 1977 film 'Porci con le ali'. He later became a television director, helming the 'Maurizio Costanzo Show' from 1982 to 2001, and from 2000 directed 'C'è posta per te' and in 2001 'Amici', both hosted by Maria De Filippi. He was awarded the Premio Tenco in 2021 but could not attend due to illness. Culture Minister Dario Franceschini paid tribute, noting that 'Contessa' accompanied political engagement and warmed hearts. The Club Tenco expressed condolences, recalling his appearances at the Tenco festival in 1975, 1981, 1988, and 2015, and noted that he left a new vinyl record shortly before his death.