# Italian Cinema and Music Mourn Icons Angela Luce and Adriana Asti

**By Amelie Fontaine**  \nPublished September 25, 2026  \nUpdated September 25, 2026

> The Italian performing arts community is paying tribute to Neapolitan diva Angela Luce, who died at age 87, and acclaimed screen actress Adriana Asti, who passed away at age 94.

Italian culture and dramatic arts are paying tribute to two towering figures following the deaths of Neapolitan singer and actress Angela Luce at age 87 and renowned cinema and stage star Adriana Asti at age 94.

## Angela Luce: The Definitive Neapolitan Voice of Stage and Screen

Angela Luce, born Angela Savino, passed away at dawn at age 87 after suffering severe heart failure compounded by renal and respiratory complications. Widely celebrated as the last queen of Neapolitan song, Luce carved out a historic career defined by dynamic vocal strength and intense dramatic presence.

Her artistic trajectory started at just 14 years old when she performed *Zi Carmilì* at the Piedigrotta Bideri festival. She went on to deliver immortal renditions of Neapolitan classics, most notably Raffaele Viviani's *Bammenella*. Originally staged under director Giuseppe Patroni Griffi, the piece was later reimagined in the 2000s alongside saxophonist Marco Zurzolo and featured in John Turturro's music documentary *Passione*. On the competitive musical stage, Luce earned second place at the 1975 Sanremo Music Festival with *Ipocrisia*, composed by Pino Giordano and Eduardo Alfieri.

Luce's cinematic accomplishments were equally distinguished, earning a David di Donatello award for her performance in Mario Martone's *L'amore molesto*. Her vast filmography includes memorable scenes opposite Totò in Mario Mattoli's *Signori si nasce*, Pier Paolo Pasolini's *Decameron*, and Pupi Avati's *La seconda notte di nozze*. She was a frequent co-star of Mario Merola in iconic stage and screen *sceneggiate*, working alongside cinematic giants such as Marcello Mastroianni, Vittorio Gassman, Alberto Sordi, Nino Manfredi, Ugo Tognazzi, and Vittorio De Sica. Off screen, she modeled for painter Aligi Sassu and took immense pride in publishing her own poetry book despite completing only a fifth-grade primary school education.

## Adriana Asti: A Pillar of European Auteur Cinema

The Italian arts community is also mourning veteran actress Adriana Asti, who died at the age of 94. Asti launched her theatrical career at age 18 before making her feature film debut in Leopoldo Trieste's *Città di notte*, eventually becoming a muse and key collaborator for landmark European directors.

Asti delivered notable performances across landmark films, portraying a prostitute in Pier Paolo Pasolini's *Accattone* and appearing in Luchino Visconti's masterpieces *Rocco e i suoi fratelli* and *Ludwig*. She starred in *Prima della rivoluzione*, directed by her first husband Bernardo Bertolucci, and collaborated extensively on stage and screen with her second husband, director Giorgio Ferrara, who passed away in 2023. In the early 2000s, Asti brought her refined dramatic presence to Marco Tullio Giordana's acclaimed projects *La meglio gioventù* and *Quando sei nato non puoi più nasconderti*, closing out a monumental legacy in modern Italian acting.

## Sources

- [elenapresti.com](https://www.elenapresti.com/cantante.html) — original
- [ilmattino.it](https://www.ilmattino.it/spettacoli/musica/morta_angea_luce_chi_era_attrice_cantante_napoletana-9371591.html) — original
- [ilpost.it](https://www.ilpost.it/2025/07/31/adriana-asti-attrice-morta/) — original