Mino Reitano was an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 singer and actor.

Reitano was born to a poor family in Fiumara

Fiumara

Fiumara is a comune in the Province of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about 110 km southwest of Catanzaro and about 12 km northeast of Reggio Calabria...

, a small village near Reggio Calabria

Reggio Calabria

Reggio di Calabria , commonly known as Reggio Calabria or Reggio, is the biggest city and the most populated comune of Calabria, southern Italy, and is the capital of the Province of Reggio Calabria and seat of the Council of Calabrian government.Reggio is located on the "toe" of the Italian...

. he studied at the conservatory at Reggio for eight years, learning piano, trumpet, and violin. At a young age he moved with his brothers to Germany, where he played with his brothers in a band. After performing at the Festival at Castrocaro, he was offered a contract with Italian label Dischi Ricordi, and in 1967 he participated for the first time at the Sanremo Festival. His first big hit was 1968's "Avevo un cuore (che ti amava tanto)".

Reitano died in Monza

Monza

Monza is a city and comune on the river Lambro, a tributary of the Po, in the Lombardy region of Italy some 15 km north-northeast of Milan. It is the capital of the Province of Monza and Brianza. It is best known for its Grand Prix motor racing circuit, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza.On June...

 aged 64 of intestinal cancer, after a long period of illness.