Franco Gatti of Ricchi e Poveri has died: “A piece of our life has gone. Goodbye Franco.”
The 'moustache' of Ricchi e Poveri passed away in Genoa at the age of eighty. His colleagues and lifelong friends, along with his family, announced his passing to ANSA.
"A piece of our life has gone. Goodbye Franco” they say sadly.
Franco Gatti had already distanced himself from the group for some time, after the sudden death of his son Alessio in 2013 at just 23 years old. Gatti had then participated in the group's reunion a few years later, but by then his musical activity had ended.
Franco and his colleagues were about to go on stage at the Ariston theater to collect the Lifetime Achievement Award during the Sanremo Festival, but a phone call informed him that his son had passed away. Fabio Fazio announced in the press room the sudden defection of Ricchi e Poveri due to the sudden and serious bereavement. A pain that would have destroyed him.
In 2016 Franco, marked by grief, said goodbye to the band to dedicate himself to his family. He had suddenly said goodbye, after the concert in Moscow, to his colleagues, Angela Brambati and Angelo Sotgiu, with whom he had performed for almost 50 years on stages around the world singing hits such as 'Che sarà', 'Se m'innamoro', 'Mamma Maria', 'Sarà perché ti amo' and 'Voulez vous danser'.
Franco Gatti and the Rich and Poor their successes
I Riches and Poors were born artistically in 1968. At the beginning they were noticed by Franco Califano, who became their producer for a few years. Gatti has been in the group since the beginning, that is when it was composed of four elements. The other three were Angela Brambati, Marina Occhiena and Angelo Sotgiu. Occhiena later left the group.
At the beginning they were noticed by Franco Califano, who became their producer for a few years. He too had left to dedicate himself to his family. But he had participated in the subsequent reunion, made with an album that collected their "Greatest Hits" and a party-show on Raiuno.
In that case on Tv2000 for the first time the smile returned to his face. That "reunion" had brought him back to the good times and he declared: “Getting together is a bit like getting younger. I've always had the group in my heart. We started out as four and now we're reuniting. Call me romantic, but this moment is a fulfillment of life”.
Article published on 18 October 2022 - 11:32
