Mourners from across Italy
brought flowers, cards and fond memories of Pino Daniele as the
popular musician was commemorated at funeral services in Rome
and later, in his native Naples Wednesday.
Mourners in Rome's Sanctuary of Our Lady of Divine Love
applauded the arrival of Daniele's coffin, while a long line of
fans stretched beyond the church into the piazza.
Some carried signs and banners with such messages as:
"Nobody will ever be as big as you" and "The soul of Naples" as
well as "God will rest his soul".
The singer-songwriter's family was urged to stand strong
together during their time of grief, by Father Renzo Campetella
in his homily.
"You must be united, that is the best gift that you can
make for Pino," he said during the funeral.
"Otherwise, he will have failed as a father and as a man,"
the priest added, before the Neapolitan's remains were taken to
his home city.
There, the service for Daniele, whose first album Terra mia
in 1977 helped bring him to fame, was moved from the Basilica di
San Francesco Di Paola to the Piazza del Plebiscito to
accommodate tens of thousands of fans.
The funerals came as prosecutors opened a homicide probe
into the circumstances surrounding the 59-year-old singer's
death Sunday night of a heart attack.
The probe will look into whether it was Daniele's decision
to go to Rome from his vacation home in the countryside
near Orbetello in the Maremma region of Tuscany after feeling
ill late Sunday.
By the time he arrived in hospital in Rome, he was in
critical condition and died soon after.
An ambulance had been called to Daniele's farmhouse at
about 9:15 p.m. local time on Sunday.
But when paramedics subsequently contacted the singer's
family for clarification on directions, they were told they were
no longer needed as he was heading to the capital.
Fabiola Sciabbarrasi, the singer's second wife and mother
of three of his children, told ANSA that she hopes police will
talk with his most recent partner Amanda Bonini to clarify what
happened.
Bonini, who left the Rome funeral with Daniele's eldest
son, said the musician was "the great love of my life".
Rome prosecutors ordered an autopsy on the musician's body,
following the funerals, ANSA sources said.
The initial plan following Daniele's death was for only one
funeral, in Rome, followed by internment in Tuscany.
But Naples Mayor Luigi de Magistris said he was pleased the
family decided to hold two services, including one in the
hometown that lent its musical vibe to so much of Daniele's
music.
"I am very happy that the family has accepted the will of
the Neapolitans (who feel) a strong bond" with the artist, said
the mayor.
Thousands turned out Tuesday night for a memorial in
Naples.
Daniele "was able to interpret the mood of Neapolitans,
reading and describing so poetically the chiaroscuro of our
city," said Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, who presided over the
singer's Naples funeral.
Daniele built up on music of his idols, from Jeff Beck to
Frank Zappa and Carlos Santana, adding his particular Neapolitan
twist to blend of rock, jazz and blues.
One of his greatest successes came with the 1980 album Nero
a Metà, and after that, he performed as the opening act for Bob
Marley in 1980 in Naples.
He also performed with such rock music giants as Eric
Clapton.
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