Obituary: Renato Pagliari

Aug 7 2009 by William Leece, Liverpool Daily Post

RenatoPagliari

THE male half of 1980s singing duo Renee and Renato has died.

Renato Pagliari, who reached number one in 1982 with the catchy ballad Save Your Love, died in a West Midlands hospital last Wednesday after having surgery for a brain tumour.

He was 69 and had been battling the tumour for several months.

The former Italian waiter, who lived in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, also provided the voice for the popular Walls ice-cream TV advert, Just One Cornetto.

Together with Renee – real name Hilary Lester – he spent four weeks at number one over Christmas 1982 with Save Your Love.

His son Remo, 33, who also lives in Sutton Coldfield said: “My dad was just one of those people that everybody loved.

“He had two great passions, his family and performing. He was a born performer and a devoted family man. He lived for his grandchildren and he looked after all of us.

“Even in the hospital, he was singing to the other patients in the ward. He was happiest when he was performing and when the grandchildren were around him.”

Pagliari was born in the village of Biera, near Rome, but settled in the West Midlands as a young man.

He entered the TV talent show New Faces in 1975 and his tenor voice caught the attention of songwriter Johnny Edward, who had written Save Your Love.

After hitting number one, Renee and Renato released follow-up singles Just One More Kiss and Jesus Loves Us All but they were not successful.

Pagliari continued performing and went on to work as a cruise-ship singer.

He had become a close friend of the former football manager Ron Atkinson, who once asked him to sing Puccini's Nessun Dorma to inspire his Aston Villa players after a lacklustre first-half performance.

He also sang regularly at his son’s restaurant in Tamworth, Staffordshire.

Pagliari is survived by his wife Maureen, son Remo, daughter Amanda, and three grandsons.

His funeral will take place on Monday next week in Sutton Coldfield.

Renato Pagliari, singer and waiterBorn, June 28, 1940; died,July 29, 2009