Popular Italian singer-songwriter and musician Lucio Dalla died in Switzerland yesterday, during a European concert tour. He would have turned 69 on Sunday – his date of birth, 4 March, 1943, was the title of one of his most famous songs.

He came to Malta for a concert with Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja last July, but had been visiting regularly since 2007.

As news about the Italian musician’s death spread like wildfire yesterday afternoon, the tenor wrote on Twitter: “Rip Lucio Dalla. You will be missed.”

Contacted by The Malta Independent, Calleja said: “It is a great pity that the nation of Italy has lost one of its major icons.”

Dalla’s company, Ph.D srl Music Management in Bologna, said the singer died, apparently of a heart attack, after eating breakfast at his hotel in Montreaux, Switzerland. He had given a concert there the evening before.

Dalla wrote songs for himself and others, as well as for films. His song Caruso sold nine million copies worldwide. The late opera great Luciano Pavarotti sang Caruso with Dalla at a 1992 Italian concert.

Dalla toured abroad frequently, including in the United States. He sometimes toured with another famed Italian folksong writer, Francesco De Gregori.

The singer-songwriter’s last television appearance was at the Sanremo festival two weeks ago.