ROME, August 22. /TASS/. Italian singer and composer Toto Cutugno died at 80, ANSA reported Tuesday.

According to the report, Cutugno died in the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, where he was hospitalized earlier. The singer’s manager Danilo Mancuso told ANSA that Cutugno’s health deteriorated after a lengthy illness in the recent months.

The Italian singer often visited Russia and performed in Russia and former Soviet republics, where he enjoyed high popularity. Several years ago, he cooperated with the Alexandrov Ensemble and performed with it in Sanremo in 2013.

Cutugno visited the USSR for the first time in 1985. Later, he said that people in Russia "particularly love him and always expect him."

Toto (real name Salvatore) Cutugno started his musical career in the 1960s as a drummer; later, he got into jazz and playing piano, started writing songs. He established Albatros, and, after the band dissolved, performed solo. He participated in the famous Sanremo festival 15 times, including with his ‘L'italiano’ song (also known as ‘Lasciate Mi Cantare’), which has become his visiting card (the song was written for Adriano Celentano, but he refuse to perform it).

Cutugno released about 20 albums. He wrote over 300 songs, many of them were performed by Celentano, Mireille Mathieu, Ricchi e Poveri, Dalida and other performers.