Celso Valli, producer of Vasco Rossi, Eros Ramazzotti, and Laura Pausini, has died.

Celso Valli, composer, conductor, arranger, and record producer who shaped the history of Italian pop music in recent decades, has died at the age of 75 in Bologna, the city where he was born on May 14, 1950. The news of his passing was spread on social media by Eros Ramazzotti, who posted the story "I'll miss you, maestro."

After studying at the Giovanni Battista Martini Conservatory in Bologna, Celsi made his official debut collaborating with Drupi on his 1978 album "Provincia." Around the same time, he began producing, arranging, and occasionally composing for several Italo-disco projects, including "Tantra," "Azoto," and "Passeggeri." In 1979, he began collaborating with Mina; his career as a producer and arranger includes some of the most successful Italian artists of the 1980s and 2000s. He has worked with Claudio Baglioni, Gianni Morandi, Fiorella Mannoia, Miguel Bosé, Marcella Bella, Matia Bazar, Eros Ramazzotti, Vasco Rossi, Andrea Bocelli, Giorgia, Patty Pravo, Il Volo, Laura Pausini, Filippa Giordano, Mango, Raf, Renato Zero, Biagio Antonacci, and Gerardina Trovato, to name a few.

Over the course of his career, he has earned gold and platinum records, and the Latin Grammy Award for Laura Pausini's "Primavera Anticipada." In 2006, he was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. In 2011, he received a diamond record with Vasco Rossi for the album "Vivere o niente." He produced the best-selling Italian album of all time, Claudio Baglioni's "La vita è adesso," and has also collaborated on songs such as "Self Control," "Ti sento," "Quello che le donne non dicono," and "Un senso." Valli has also been a prominent figure at the Sanremo Music Festival for decades, conducting the orchestra for many artists, often contributing to historic victories. His last appearance at the Ariston Theatre was in 2023, alongside Ultimo and Eros Ramazzotti in a stirring medley of the Roman singer-songwriter's greatest hits.

Eros Ramazotti bids farewell to his friend Celso on social media (instagram/ @erosramazzotti)

The news of his passing was shared on social media by Eros Ramazzotti, who posted the story with a crying emoticon, a broken heart, and the caption, "Celso. I'll miss you, Maestro." "Goodbye, Celso, another giant who leaves us," Ramazzotti wrote.