Rolando D'Angeli, influential Italian music manager, dies at 80

Renowned Italian music manager and producer Rolando D'Angeli has died in Rome at the age of 80. Known by the moniker “il venditore di stelle” (the star seller), D'Angeli was a pivotal figure in the Italian music industry for decades.

His career began in 1978 with Bobby Solo and led to the founding of Music Show International, one of Italy's first major management companies. He played a crucial role in the success of several prominent artists, most notably launching the international career of Nek following the 1997 Sanremo Festival, and producing the artist Giorgia through his label Don’t Worry.

Throughout his career, D'Angeli worked with a wide array of Italian music icons, including Umberto Tozzi, Raffaella Carrà, Pupo, Amedeo Minghi, and Paola Turci. His professional trajectory, which he detailed in his 2013 autobiography, took him from a difficult childhood in the outskirts of Rome to managing productions in over 40 countries.