Franco Battiato was an Italian musician, singer, composer, filmmaker and painter who started his career in 1965 and went on to become one of the most popular singer-songwriters in the country over the next six decades with over a dozen studio albums and singles released, which due to their unique sound earned him the nickname "Il maestro".
He was best known internationally for representing his home country alongside the singer Alice in the Eurovision Song Contest 1984 in Luxembourg City with the song "I treni di Tozeur", which finished in joint 5th place with 70 points alongside the entry by Jacques Zegers of Belgium.
Post-Contest, he continued to release music and in November 2012 he accepted an offer from newly elected Sicilian regional president Rosario Crocetta to become the regional Minister for Tourism and Culture before stepping down due to some controversial comments he made.
He died on 18 May 2021 at the age of 76 surrounded by rumours about a neurodegenerative disease, osteoporosis or cancer with the real cause remaining a secret in order to respect his last request and family petition. The following year it was revealed that he had been suffering of multiple myeloma for years, which was first diagnosed in 2017.
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