Eurovision Song Contest winner Toto Cutugno has passed away

The singer was responsible for Italy’s second victory when the Contest took place in Zagreb in what was then Yugoslavia.

His song, Insieme: 1992 (both written and composed by Toto), spoke of the bringing together of nations; the date in the title refers to the year in which the European Union was due to begin operating.

Of course, with a win comes the responsibility of hosting the Contest the following year, and so Italian broadcaster Rai approached Toto to present the 1991 show alongside Gigliola Cinquetti (who had also won for Italy back in 1964 with her song Non ho l'età).

The Contest took place in Rome and is fondly remembered by fans for its unexpected nature as Frank Naef (then the European Broadcasting Union’s independent scrutineer) was required to intervene several times as Toto and Gigliola tackled the voting sequence.

As well as his legacy as one of the Contest’s most memorable winners, Toto also leaves behind a body of work that spans 5 decades thanks to his multiple successes in both Italy’s Sanremo Music Festival and the Italian charts.