1990 Eurovision Song Contest winner Toto Cutugno has died aged 80.

The singer was responsible for Italy’s second victory in the Contest held in Zagreb, in what was then Yugoslavia.

His song, First: 1992 (both written and composed by Toto), spoke of bringing nations together; the date given in the title refers to the year in which the European Union was to start functioning.

Of course, a win comes with the responsibility of running the contest the following year, so Italian TV channel Rai contacted Toto to present the 1991 show alongside Gigliola Cincuetti (who had also won for Italy in 1964 with his song No ho the età).

The contest took place in Rome and fans fondly remember its unexpectedness as Frank Naef (then an independent teller for the European Broadcasting Union) had to intervene several times while Toto and Gigliola tackled the voting sequence.

In addition to his legacy as one of the competition’s most memorable winners, Toto also leaves behind a body of work that spans 5 decades through his multiple successes at Italy’s Sanremo Music Festival and on the charts. Italians.

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