Portrait
Nella Martinetti
Born
21 January 1946Brissago, Switzerland
Died
29 July 2011Männedorf, Switzerland · aged 65
Singer and songwriterSwitzerland80th birthday15th anniversary of death

Nella Martinetti

“Bella Nella” from Ticino won the first Grand Prix der Volksmusik – and co-wrote the song with which Céline Dion won Eurovision for Switzerland.

Nella Martinetti grew up in Brissago on Lake Maggiore in Ticino. With her warm voice, her temperament and her Ticino charm she became one of the most popular entertainers in German-speaking Switzerland, where she was affectionately known as “Bella Nella”. She sang, composed, acted and appeared on countless television shows.

In 1986 she won the first Grand Prix der Volksmusik with her own song “Bella Musica”. In 1987, together with the composer Atilla Şereftuğ, she approached a young Canadian singer who was still unknown in Europe and asked her to represent Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest: Céline Dion. With “Ne partez pas sans moi”, for which Martinetti wrote the lyrics, Dion won the contest in Dublin in 1988 – Switzerland’s second and, for a long time, last victory.

Martinetti lived for many years with her partner. In 2009, soon after registered partnerships were introduced in Switzerland, the two women entered into one. They lived in Jona on Lake Zurich. In her later years Martinetti suffered from fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, and spoke openly about it.

She died of pancreatic cancer in Männedorf in 2011, aged 65. Switzerland mourned one of its best-loved entertainers.

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