Italo Disco Artist Pino d’Angiò Dies at Age 71

Pino d’Angiò was perhaps best known for his song “Ma Quale Idea,” and for his contributions to Age Of Love’s self-titled hit single.

A voice well known in Italo disco and beyond has sadly breathed its last. Pino d’Angio — an accomplished music producer, songwriter, and singer — has died of lung cancer at age 71.

According to Il Messaggero, d’Angio’s family said he passed away on Saturday. “Unfortunately, today dad left us, struck by a serious illness that took him away in a few weeks,” his wife, Teresa, and son, Francesco said in a joint statement. “He resisted a lot, as he always did.”

To their point, d’Angio had reportedly faced multiple health crises in the later chapters of his life. He had previously beaten a different lung cancer, a throat cancer that required six surgeries, and a heart attack that triggered cardiac arrest.

Pino d’Angiò gained international acclaim during the era of Italo disco, a movement that carried the torch after disco became taboo in the US in the late ’70s, but before the early ’80s explosion of house music. His debut single was “È Libero, Scusi?” and he saw consistent success as a recording artist thanks to songs like “Fammi Un Panino” and “Genoveffa.”

It is d’Angiò’s 1980 single “Ma Quale Idea” that stands out as his most successful to date, however. Defined by his raspy spoken-word vocals and lighthearted humor, it reportedly topped the Spanish charts for 14 weeks. Earlier this year, it was reimagined by Italian band Bnkr44 as “MA CHE IDEA,” for which d’Angiò appeared in the official music video.

In 1990, Age Of Love also tapped d’Angiò for their immensely popular self-titled trance classic. He composed the harmony and lyrics, but apparently told the Belgian duo, “do whatever you want with this, but please, don’t dare putting my artist name on any of it,” which he said was “the worst mistake of my life,” according to Geurrilla Bizzarre.

We here at EDM Identity express our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Pino d’Angiò during what can only be a difficult time.