Farewell to Wilma De Angelis; the singer has died aged 96

Wilma De Angelis, a singer, actress and presenter much loved by the general public, died this afternoon in Milan at the age of 96. Her nephew, Fabio De Angelis, confirmed the news to ANSA.

Born in Milan on 8 April 1930, Wilma De Angelis was crowned ‘queen of Italian jazz’ in 1956 following her appearance at the Sanremo Jazz Festival. She then embarked on a career that took her from radio to festivals and theatre performances throughout Italia. In 1959, she made her debut at Sanremo with the songs ‘Nessuno’ and ‘Per tutta la vita’; this was followed by the Naples Festival with ‘Cerasella’ and her huge radio hit with Corrado, culminating in her duet with Mina on ‘Canzonissima’. She took part in Sanremo nine times, coming third in 1960 with the song “Quando vien la sera” (in a duet with Joe Sentieri) and making her mark with songs that became hits, such as “Patatina” (1961).

In the late 1970s, it was her meeting with Paolo Limiti that led her to become involved in the project to bring cooking to television, on Telemontecarlo: Telemenù, Sale, pepe e fantasia and later A pranzo con Wilma made her one of the most popular faces on the small screen, as well as an author of cookery books. In the 1980s, she returned to recording albums, with Ricky Gianco and the Oldies. She also starred in the TV drama adaptation of *The Betrothed*, in films such as Fausto Brizzi’s *Femmine contro maschi*, not to mention her guest appearances on programmes such as *Stasera pago io* with Fiorello. “Bye, Aunt Wilma,” her nephew wrote on Facebook. ‘Your songs, your warmth, your smile and your zest for life will warm our hearts forever. Hearts that, right now, are in pieces! In the end, you lived a life worth living. Goodbye, Auntie, see you in the next life.’