Piero, the voice of 'Mi viejo' who won a Rio song festival with 'Pedro Nadie', dies at 81

Piero, one of the most beloved names in Latin American popular song, died early Wednesday (Oct. 7) in Buenos Aires at age 81. The news was shared by the artist's official account. He had been hospitalized for several days at the Hospital Italiano, and people close to him told La Nación his condition was serious, but no cause of death has been officially released. In April 2023, he had been rushed to the hospital with pneumonia that forced him to cancel shows in Ecuador.

Born Piero Antonio Franco De Benedictis on April 19, 1945, in Gallipoli, southern Italy, he arrived in Argentina at age three and started on TV in 1964 singing in Italian. His breakthrough came with writer José Tcherkaski: 'Mi viejo' (1969), 'Para el pueblo lo que es del pueblo', 'Llegando llegaste', 'Juan Boliche' and 'Coplas de mi país' became the soundtrack of generations. In 1970 he won the International Song Festival in Rio de Janeiro with 'Pedro Nadie'.

During Argentina's dictatorship he lived in exile in Italy and Spain, returning only in 1981, the year of the live album 'Calor humano'. He won a Konex award in 1985, received Colombian citizenship in 1994 and was honored with the Latin Grammy for Musical Excellence in 2016. His wake takes place Thursday (Oct. 8) from 12:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Lázaro Costa funeral home in Buenos Aires, and the procession leaves Friday (Oct. 9) at 11 a.m. for Recoleta Cemetery.