Italian singer-songwriter and producer Pino D’Angiò has passed away at the age of 71. D’Angiò was best known for his 1980 Italo Disco hit “Ma quale idea,” which sold two million copies and earned chart success across Europe. His son Francesco confirmed his death, revealing that he had been struck by a serious illness that took him away within a few weeks.
Born in Pompeii, D’Angiò spent much of his early years in North America before moving back to Italy at age 11. D’Angiò’s entrance into music was “an accident,” as he had started performing as a hobby while studying medicine at the University of Siena. The pioneering Italian producer Ezio Leoni discovered him there and paved the way for him into the music industry.
D’Angiò recorded his first single, “È libero, scusi?” in 1979. It was just a year later that he released his biggest hit, “Ma quale idea.” The iconic Italo disco track went on to be sampled in another legendary dance track and sell two million copies, earning chart success across Europe.
In recent years D’Angiò found a new audience, following a viral TikTok of him performing his most famous hit with his signature cigarette, donning Nike shoes and a dinner suit. He composed an alternative version of “Mas quale idea” with the Italian pop-punk collective Bnkr44 in 2024, which went platinum in Italy.
D’Angiò had suffered from several health problems across the last decade, including lung cancer, throat cancer and a stroke. The cause of his recent illness has not yet been confirmed by his family. A funeral was held for D’Angiò on July 9 in his hometown of Pompeii
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