October 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\nSony Music Italy will release\u00a0a new edition of Gaetano’s album E io ci sto<\/em>, 45 years after its release, out 21 November. The reissue features the classic tracks remastered on CD and vinyl, along with previously unreleased material.<\/p>\nCinemas in Italy will screen Rino Gaetano Sempre\u00a0Pi\u00f9 Blu<\/em>,\u00a0the new film directed by Giorgio Verdelli, from 24-26 November.<\/p>\nPresented recently at the 20th Rome Film Fest, the movie is described as an intimate portrait of the singer-songwriter, a journey through memories and interviews that recount the man behind the legend, celebrating his musical and cultural legacy.<\/p>\n
In 2020, Italy marked the 40th anniversary of Gaetano’s death by releasing a stamp in his honour, featuring the smiling musician in his trademark top hat against the background of a blue sky, a reference to one of his greatest hits\u00a0Ma il cielo \u00e8 sempre pi\u00f9 blu<\/em>.<\/p>\nWho was Rino Gaetano?<\/h3>\n
Salvatore Antonio Gaetano was born on 29 October 1950 in Crotone, in Italy’s southern Calabria region, before moving aged 10 to Rome where he would live the rest of his short life.<\/p>\n
He made his musical breakthrough in 1975 with\u00a0Ma il cielo \u00e8 sempre pi\u00f9 blu<\/em>, a jaunty song about everyday life, littered with irony, clich\u00e9s and contradictions.<\/p>\nGaetano soon became known for his satirical songs, which took aim at politicians and supported social protests, all sung in a rough, powerful voice.<\/p>\n
His lyrics often landed him trouble, notably with the 1976 song Nuntereggae pi\u00f9<\/em>, which originally cited prime minister Aldo Moro (before his kidnapping) and journalist Indro Montanelli, whose names were deleted to avoid controversy.<\/p>\nCritical success<\/strong><\/p>\nSuccess continued for Gaetano with his second album, Mio fratello \u00e8 figlio unico<\/em>\u00a0in 1976,\u00a0and his third album the following year, Aida<\/em>, which featured the hit of the same name.<\/p>\nNoted for its originality, the song is Gaetano’s ode to Italy and its history, told through the figure of Aida.<\/p>\n
In 1980 Gaetano recorded his final album E io ci sto<\/em>, marked by a serious tone and rock sound, whose title track he sang during his last television appearance on 31 May 1981.<\/p>\nDeath<\/strong><\/p>\nTwo days later, in the early hours of 2 June, Festa della Repubblica, Gaetano was driving home alone along Rome’s Via Nomentana where he collided with a van at the intersection of Viale XXI Aprile, dying of his injuries a few hours later.<\/p>\n
Rino Gaetano is buried in capital’s Verano cemetery and his tombstone reads:\u00a0Ma il cielo \u00e8 sempre pi\u00f9 blu<\/em>.<\/p>\n