Tributes poured in Monday for
Italian singer Pino Daniele, dead at age 59 after a heart
attack.
Sources said Daniele was rushed to hospital in Rome in
critical condition after the heart attack Sunday night, but
efforts to save him failed.
"It is a terrible time," said daughter Sara.
His funeral will be held in Rome on Wednesday at noon, at
the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Divine Love.
A priest who has been a friend of Daniele's family, said
that it was chosen "because it is very large and can accommodate
many people".
Luigi de Magistris, the mayor of Naples, the singer's
hometown, said that day will be declared a city-wide day of
mourning and flags were flying at half-mast there Monday.
Premier Matteo Renzi called the death a terrible loss for
the country as well as the city of Naples.
"I still have in my ears his music from New Year's Eve
(celebrations)," the premier said.
"He had an incredible voice, one that sang not only of
Naples and of the South, but throughout all of Italy," said
Renzi.
A master of rock, jazz, blues and traditional Neapolitan
music, Daniele's first album Terra mia was released in 1977.
Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe of Naples called Daniele "an
honoured son" of the city.
"He was a great artist," said the cardinal.
The singer had apparently began to feel ill Sunday night
while at his isolated vacation home in the countryside near
Orbetello in the Maremma region of Tuscany.
At about 9:15 p.m. local time, an ambulance with a doctor
was sent out and about 10 minutes was lost clarifying the
address of Daniele's farmhouse, sources said.
By the time he arrived in hospital in Rome, he was in
critical condition and died soon after.
"When Pino Daniele has arrived in our hospital, the
situation was so serious that he immediately underwent CPR, but
unfortunately after a few minutes he was dead," said Carlo
Saitto, a spokesman for the health region when the Rome hospital
Sant'Eugenio is located.
"There was nothing we could do, unfortunately," added
Saitto, who said time of death was recorded as 22:45.
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