Italian popular singer Franco Battiato died today, Italian media report.

He was 76, and had been ill for a time.

Battiato died in his home in Milo, close to Catania.

He had been born on 23 March 1945, and during his long career ventured into pop and cultured music, reaching great heights of popularity in the 1970s and 1980s.

His most famous songs are "Centro di gravità permanente","Voglio vederti danzare" o "Bandiera Bianca".