Luigi Sabani, best known as Gigi Sabani (5 October 1952 – 4 September 2007), was an Italian TV

impersonator An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for impersonating someone: *Entertainment: An entertainer impersonates a celebrity, generally for entertainment, and makes fun of ...

, host and singer.

Biography and career

Born in Rome, Sabani made his television debut in the late 1970s as an impersonator: his most famous imitations included those of

Adriano Celentano Adriano Celentano (; born 6 January 1938) is an Italian musician, singer, composer, actor, and filmmaker. He is dubbed "''il Molleggiato''" (the springy one) because of his dancing. Celentano's many albums frequently enjoyed both commercial and ...

and Mike Bongiorno. From 1983 to 1986 he hosted the Italian version of the show '' The Price Is Right'' (''

OK, il Prezzo è Giusto! ''OK, Il Prezzo è Giusto!'' ("OK! The Price Is Right") is the Italian adaptation of the American game show '' The Price Is Right'' that aired on Italia 1, Canale 5 and Rete 4. It was hosted by Gigi Sabani, Iva Zanicchi, Emanuela Folliero and Mar ...

'') along with (and later succeeded by) Italian singer Iva Zanicchi. He participated at

Festival di Sanremo The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annual ...

in 1989. His best-known song was ''A me mi torna in mente una canzone'' (1983). In 1997, he was implicated in a judicial case for fraud in sexual matters and induction to prostitution: he was arrested, but was discharged as the case was filed, and Sabani claimed damages. That was an abrupt halt to a blooming career, that made him from the early 1980s one of the most popular artist of the Italian TV.Translated from ''La Repubblica'' of 5 September 2007 On 4 September 2007, just 31 days before he would have turned 55, he died of myocardial infarction while visiting his sister. His fiancée, actress Raffaella Ponzo, found out days later that she was pregnant with his child. She gave birth to his son on 19 May 2008.

References

1952 births 2007 deaths Italian comedy musicians Italian television personalities Singers from Rome 20th-century Italian male singers 20th-century Italian comedians Burials at the Cimitero Flaminio Italian male comedians Comedians from Rome {{Italy-singer-stub