The first biography of Raffaella Carrà arrives: “I always vote communist”

First biographical text of this universal Italian, which reaches bookstores three years after her death in Rome, at the age of 78. In Nothing is eternal except the Carrà (Editorial Dos Bigotes), its author, Pedro Ángel Sánchez, reconstructs the portrait of an immense Raffaella and an unrepeatable artist who broke the trends of the time with Party, Rumor, We have to come to the South y In love everything is beginning.

With more than 60 million records and a million-dollar television audience, the figure of Carrà is part of the collective imagination of several generations who grew up watching the TVE screen. An open window to the world, to new trends in music, film and dance. In those 70s, even with the embers of late Francoism, Raffaella Carrà represented the free, brave and powerful woman, a symbol of empowerment and modernity. She is also tireless in her fight for equality and in defense of the LGTBI collective.

The author of this portrait, Pedro Ángel Sánchez, collected the Italian woman’s testimonies in December 2020, in what was his last interview before his death. The signatory traces the artist’s life and professional career, through her words and testimonies from Ramón García, Loles León, Mónica Naranjo and Isabel Gemio.

‘Ladies and Gentlemen!’

Balladeer and revue singer, la Carrà landed in Spain in 1975, on the TVE program Ladies and Gentlemen!, of Jose Maria Quero and Valerio Lazarov. A breath of fresh air and light on a screen that is still in black and white. The Italian, with her joy of life, made a country dance that was leaving behind a 40-year dictatorship and taking its first steps in democracy. Committed and with a strong social profile, she gave a headline to Interview in 1977 with that resounding “I always vote communist” and his manifesto “I will always be on the side of the workers.”

On those TVE sets, with stars like Fiorella Faltoyano, Victoria Vera or Norma Duval, This overwhelming Italian emerged, with platinum hair and a bob cut.which ended up having a space designed to suit: The hour of Raffaella Carràpredecessor of so many magazines that included interviews and performances by the super stars Julio Iglesias, Paloma San Basilio, Massiel and Raphael.

600 million pesetas

In the 90s he continued dancing his greatest hits with the same fury and energy: What a pain, Hot hot, Lucas, Amore, amore, Mom, give me 100 pesetas. The performer, dancer, choreographer and actress, who was born into a middle-class family in Bologna during the Second World War, was crowned the highest-paid presenter in Europe. Considered the “first show-woman”, according to Pedro Ángel Sánchez, she closed a three-year contract with RAI for 600 million pesetas in 1984 (3.6 million euros). Before landing in Spain, Raffaella had already visited Hollywood. It was in 1965. Following in the footsteps of her compatriots Sofia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida, she signed with 20th Century Fox for her role in Colonel Von Ryan, next to Frank Sinatra. The superstar died of lung cancer in July 2021.

What was the cause of Raffaella Carrà’s death?

The artist died on July 5, 2021, at the age of 78, due to lung cancer, leaving her colleagues and her audience devastated.

It is the same disease that caused the death of his only brother in 2002, Vincenzo Pelloni57 years old, and for whom he also lost his mother, Iris Dellutriin 1987 at 63 years old.