Italian TV and music icon Raffaella Carrà dies at age 78

Earlier today, the media announced that Italian TV icon Raffaella Carrà passed away at age 78.

The news of her death was given by her long-standing partner Sergio Iapino. "Raffaella has left us. She has gone to a better world, where her humanity, her unmistakable laugh and her extraordinary talent will shine forever," Iapino told Ansa news agency. 

Last autumn, British newspaper The Guardian crowned Raffaella Carrà as a European sex symbol, calling her "the cultural icon who taught Europe the joys of sex". 

Also popular in Spain and Latin America, Carrà was born Raffaella Pelloni on June 18th, 1943, in Bologna. 

She acted in a dozen of films between 1960 and 1970, including 1965's Von Ryan's Express with Frank Sinatra. That same year Carrà performed in the musical comedy Scaramouche.

In the 1960s she ventured into television, appearing on the shows like Tempo di Danza, Il Paroliere, and Questo Sconosciuto.

In 1970, on the TV program Io, Agata e Tu, Carrà launched the popular dance tuca-tuca as a musical recording.

In 1971, she had another success on the TV show Canzonissima, performing the theme song "Chissà se Va."

From the mid-1970s onwards Carrà was a popular TV host of various shows in Italy (Ma Che Sera, Fantastico 3, Pronto...Raffaella?, Domenica In, Weekend con Raffaella Carrà) and in Spain (Hola Raffaella).

From 2013 to 2016, the Grande Dame of Italian entertainment was on the jury of The Voice of Italy on Rai 2. 

The gay icon went on to become a pop star and actress in South America, but returned to Europe, and by the 1980s had eased into her role as a TV host, which she remained until last year.

In 1984, the Italian magazine L’Espresso wrote about her: “More applauded than president Pertini, more expensive than football player Michel Platini, more miraculous than modern saint Padre Pio.”

Her greatest international hit was the disco song "A far l'amore comincia tu" which charted in several European countries in 1977 and 1978. In 2011, French DJ Bob Sinclar sampled it and included it in his European hit single "Far l'amore".

A far l'amore comincia tu on AVRO's TopPop (Dutch TV, 1977)

U.O.Me, Luv's breakthrough hit in the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium) in early 1978, was highly inspired by Raffaella Carra's signature song. 

U.O.Me by Luv' on AVRO's TopPop on February 18th, 1978

Shortly afterwards, Luv' recorded a cover version of Raffaella's track in English as "Don Juanito de Carnaval" that appeared on their debut album entitled "With Luv'" released in August 1978. 

Don Juanito de Carnaval (1978)

May Raffaella Carrà rest in peace.

Patty Brard reacted to Raffaella's passing on her Instagram story:

Source: Times Malta, The Guardian, Wikipedia, Luv' weblog archives, YouTube, Patty Brard's Instagram account...