Caterina Valente, the famous singer from the 1950s and 1960s, has died. She died peacefully in her house in Lugano, Switzerland, at the age of 93, her press spokesman Günther Huber told the German Press Agency.
“At the request of the deceased, the funeral was held in strict privacy and there will be no further ceremonies or memorial services,” he reported. The family asked that their privacy be respected.
In her long career, Valente created evergreens that are still well-known today: “All of Paris dreams of love”, “Bye, Bye, Bambina” and “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Honolulu Beach Bikini”. She sang in German, Italian, French, English and many other languages. The entertainer also became famous for her versatile voice: she sang chansons, jazz and pop songs. After receiving the Bambi award in 2005, she retired from her private life, but remained active on Facebook, among other places. There she often wrote with her mischievous humor, such as “Old age is not for weaklings”.
Valente was born in Paris in 1931 to an Italian couple of musicians. The family had been active in show business for generations. Valente had already been touring with her parents in the 1930s and had also performed on stage. SZ-Magazin she once said in an interview: “I found my first performance incredibly funny. I was allowed to go on stage on Sunday afternoon for the coffee-klatch performance to dance a minuet. The old ladies in the audience laughed themselves to death. I was very thin, arms and legs like spaghetti.”
She was also successful in the USA, working with stars such as Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Danny Kaye, Johnny Carson, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin. When asked whether it bothered her that she was famous in Germany mainly because of her hits, Valente answered SZ-Magazin: “No. My producers did it right, and the success proved them right. It is true, however, that in Germany I did not always sing the songs that I really liked.”