Gino Paoli (23 September 1934 – 24 March 2026) was an Italian singer-songwriter. He wrote a number of songs that became well known in Italian popular music, including "Il cielo in una stanza", "Che cosa c'è", "Senza fine", "Quattro amici al bar" and "Sapore di sale". Paoli was born in Monfalcone, near Trieste, on 23 September 1934. He moved to Genoa as a child, where he spent most of his life. After working in various occupations, Paoli was signed to Dischi Ricordi along with friends and fellow musicians Luigi Tenco and Bruno Lauzi. Together with artists such as Umberto Bindi and Giorgio Calabrese, they were associated with the so-called Genoese School of Italian songwriting. His first success was the single "La gatta". "Il cielo in una stanza" was composed in 1959. According to Paoli, the lyrics were inspired while he was lying on a bed and reflecting on the idea that love can arise in any place or moment. A version recorded by Mina became a major commercial success in Italy and also entered the Billboard Hot 100. The song was featured in the films "Io bacio... tu baci" and "Appuntamento a Ischia", and was later included in "Goodfellas". It was subsequently covered by Carla Bruni on her debut album "Quelqu'un m'a dit". Paoli's debut album "Gino Paoli" was released in Italy on 8 October 1961 on Dischi Ricordi. The song "Il cielo in una stanza" was followed by "Sapore di sale" (1963), arranged by Ennio Morricone. In the same year, Paoli survived a suicide attempt in which he shot himself in the chest; the bullet remained lodged in his body. In 1974 he returned with the album "I semafori rossi non-sono Dio", followed by "Il mio mestiere" (1977), both of which reflected a development in his musical style compared to his earlier work. During the 1980s he released several successful albums and, in 1985, toured Italy with Ornella Vanoni. In 1987 he was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies for the Italian Communist Party, later leaving the party to serve as an independent aligned with the political left. He left politics in 1992 to focus on his musical career. Paoli died in Genoa on 24 March 2026 at the age of 91. His final public appearance took place at the funeral of Ornella Vanoni in November 2025. Studio albums Gino Paoli (1961) Le cose dell'amore (1962) Basta chiudere gli occhi (1964) Gino Paoli allo Studio A (1965) Le canzoni per "Emmeti" (1966) Gino Paoli and The Casuals (1967) Le due facce dell'amore (1971) Rileggendo vecchie lettere d'amore (1971) Amare per vivere (1972) I semafori rossi non-sono Dio (1974) Ciao, salutime un po' Zena (1975) Il mio mestiere (1977) La ragazza senza nome (1978) Il gioco della vita (1979) Ha tutte le carte in regola (1980) Averti addosso (1984) La luna e il Sig. Hyde (1984) Insieme (1985) Cosa farò da grande (1986) Sempre (1988) L'ufficio delle cose perdute (1988) Matto come un gatto (1991) Senza contorno solo... per un'ora (1992) King Kong (1994) Amori dispari (1995) Appropriazione indebita (1996) Pomodori (1998) Per una storia (2000) Se (2002) Una lunga storia (2004) Ti ricordi? No non mi ricordo (2004) Gino Paoli & Arsen Dedic u Lisinskom (2005)