Francesco Puccioni (26 April 1961 – 30 January 2009), better known under his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Mike Francis, was an Italian singer and composer, born in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, Italy. Internationally, he was best known for his 1984 hit, "Survivor", and his collaborations with American singer

Amii Stewart Amy Paulette "Amii" Stewart (born January 29, 1956) is an American disco and soul singer and dancer who found prominence with her 1979 U.S. Billboard number 1 hit cover of Eddie Floyd's song " Knock on Wood", often considered a classic of the ...

Career

Puccioni formed his first band at age 14 with schoolmates from l'Istituto di Studi Americano in Rome. Under the stage name Mike Francis, he had his first hit with "Survivor" in 1984 and went on to record ten studio albums. Among his best known works is the song "

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...

", a duet with

released in 1984 which became a big hit in the UK and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Beginning in 2000, assisted by his brother Mario (Mari-One) and by the Maltese multi-instrumentalist

Aidan Zammit Aidan Zammit is a musician from Sliema, Malta. He has lived in Italy since 1985. Biography He has worked as a composer, musician and singer with several artists, including Mike Francis, Niccolò Fabi, Andrea Bocelli, Nicola Piovani, Vincen ...

, he founded the group Mystic Diversions. The group's songs were featured on many high-profile

chill-out Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...

and

lounge Lounge may refer to: Architecture * Lounge, the living room of a dwelling * Lounge, a public waiting area in a hotel's lobby * Lounge, a style of commercial alcohol- bar * Airport lounge, or train lounge (e.g., AMTRAK's Acela Lounge), a premium ...

compilations. In addition to new, original song material, it also performed covers of 1970s and 1980s songs like " Float On" (by

The Floaters The Floaters were an American R&B vocal group, from the Sojourner Truth housing projects in Detroit, Michigan, that formed in 1976. The group are best known for their 1977 song " Float On", which reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, ...

), and "A Warm Summer Night" (by

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English diction ...

). Together with the three, additional musicians for live sets consisted of Agostino Marangolo (drums), Fabio Pignatelli (bass), Marco Rinalduzzi (guitars), Giovanni Imparato (percussion and vocals), as well as Wendy Lewis and Laura Serra (backing vocals). His 2007 album ''Inspired'' followed the cover of

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards. As a teenager in t ...

's " Someone Like You", together with

Blank & Jones Blank & Jones are a German electronic music duo, consisting of the members Jan Pieter Blank (born June 15, 1971), known as Piet Blank; René Runge (born June 27, 1968), better known as DJ Jaspa Jones; and the producer Andy Kaufhold (N*D*K) (born ...

for the compilation album ''Café del Mar Vol. 12''. His website states him as saying: "From that moment many other songs were born in a simple and spontaneous way, simply "inspired"..."

Death

Puccioni died aged 47 on 30 January 2009 of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

.Obituary
''Corriere'' (Italian). His last compilation album ''The Very Best of Mike Francis (All Was Missing)'' was released just days before his death.

Discography

Albums

*1984 – ''Let's Not Talk About It'' *1985 – ''Features'' *1986 – ''Mike Francis'' *1987 – ''Songs'' (compilation) *1988 – ''Flashes of Life'' *1989 – ''Features of Love'' (reprint ''Features'' - 1985) *1989 – ''Dreams of a Lifetime'' (reprint ''Mike Francis'' - 1986) *1990 – ''Live at Manila'' (live) *1991 – ''Mike Francis in Italiano'' *1992 – ''Classics'' (compilation) *1994 – ''Francesco Innamorato'' *1995 – ''The Very Best – Live'' (live compilation) *1995 – ''A Different Air'' *1995 – ''A Different Air'' (Philippines edition) *1998 – ''Misteria'' *1998 – ''The Best Of'' (compilation) *1999 – ''All Rooms with a View'' *1999 – ''I Grandi Successi'' (compilation) *2000 – ''I Grandi Successi Originali – "Flashback"'' (compilation) *2000 – ''Crossing the Liquid Mirror'' (as Mystic Diversions) *2002 – ''Beneath Another Sky'' (as Mystic Diversions) *2003 – ''Colours'' (as Mystic Diversions) *2006 – ''From the Distance'' (as Mystic Diversions) *2007 – ''Wave a Little Light'' (as Mystic Diversions) *2007 – ''Inspired'' *2008 – ''Let's Not Talk About It'' (Japan reprint) *2008 – ''Flashes of Life'' (Japan reprint) *2009 – ''The Very Best of Mike Francis (All Was Missing)'' (compilation) *2011 - ''Anthology'' (compilation) *2011 - ''The Best of...'' (compilation)

Singles

*1982 – "Love Has Found You" *1983 – "Survivor" *1984 – "Let Me In" (featuring

Rossana Casale Rossana Casale (born July 21, 1959) is an Italian singer. Biography Casale was born in New York City to an Italian-American father, photographer Giac Casale, and an Italian mother. Shortly after her birth the family moved to Venice, Italy, then ...

) *1984 – "

" (with

) *1985 – "Features of Love" *1985 – "

Together ''ToGetHer'' (, aka Superstar Express) is a 2009 Taiwanese drama starring Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit, Rainie Yang and George Hu. It was produced by Comic International Productions ( 可米國際影視事業股份有限公司) and directed by Linzi ...

" (with Amii Stewart) *1986 – "Iron It Out"/"You Can't Get Out of My Heart" *1987 – "Suddenly Back to Me" *1988 – "Still I'm Runnin' Back to You" *1989 – "Survivor '89" *1991 – "Livin' It Up" *1991 – "Se Tu Provi" *1992 – "I Want You" *1994 – "Bellissimi Occhi Chiusi"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Mike 1961 births 2009 deaths Deaths from lung cancer in Lazio Chill-out musicians Italian male composers Italian Italo disco musicians Musicians from Florence English-language singers from Italy 20th-century Italian male singers