Franco Battiato dies aged 76, Mattarella leads tributes

(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 18 - President Sergio Mattarella led the tributes on Tuesday after Italian music great Franco Battiato.died early in the day at his home in the Sicilian town of Milo.
    The much-loved singer-songwriter was 76.
    Battiato.was a multifaceted artist and his work spanned many genres, including pop, electronic music, rock and new wave.
    Nicknamed the "Maestro", his career lasted half a century.
    Among other things, he represented Italy at the 1984 Eurovision Song Contest with "I Treni di Tozeur" with the singer Alice, with whom he had a long-standing professional partnership.
    Mattarella said he was "profoundly pained by the premature death of Franco Battiato" and described him as "a cultured, refined artist".
    "With his unmistakeable musical style - the fruit of intense study and frenzied experimentation - he charmed a vast number of people, including beyond Italy's borders," the head of State said. (ANSA).