The unfinished “Felicita”: the terrible tragedy of the family musical duet Al Bano and Romina Power. Romina Power: Paradise Lost Italian singers Albano and Romina Power daughter
Soviet listeners learned Italian from their songs. This couple publicly demonstrated their love and were not afraid to kiss in front of camera lenses!
The feeling of happiness flowed from them in waves - and not some kind concocted by the yellow press, inflated for the sake of PR.
Their happiness was real...
They met back in 1967 in Italy on the set of a film in which they were invited to play the main roles. It was love at first sight. She was 16, he was 24. She was a rich beauty from a famous Hollywood family, he was the golden voice of Italy, who made his way with his talent.
Ideal couple: Al Bano Carrisi and Romina Power
Romina Francesca Power was born in Hollywood, in a dream factory, into a wealthy family. Her father was the famous Hollywood actor Tyrone Power, and her mother was actress Linda Christian.
Since childhood, Romina was a very beautiful girl with extraordinary vocal abilities. She was raised like a princess, without being denied anything. Her mother believed that Romina would make a career as an actress - one that she herself had not succeeded in.
However, the fairy tale quickly ended - Tyrone Power left the family for another woman when Romina was barely five, and died a year later. Romina's mother took her to Mexico, then to Spain, and finally to Italy, her husband's homeland.
Already at the age of 14, Romina began to make a career in cinema, then recorded her first solo record. The mother was proud of her daughter. Still would! Such successes, the beginning of recognition, fame, beauty. A wonderful future awaited my daughter!..
She experienced her first disappointment in Romina when she introduced her to her fiancé - a short, stocky Italian - a bespectacled man with a ridiculous name, who sang some kind of songs and did not have a penny to his name.
Al Bano Carrisi was indeed born into a very poor Italian family. His father plowed the land and raised livestock. He named his son Albano - in memory of the military operations in Albania, in which he participated during the Second World War.
Subsequently, embarrassed by his unusual name, the singer divided it into two parts, becoming Al Bano Carrisi. He wrote his first song at the age of 12, and at 16 he came to Milan to pursue a career as a singer.
He had to work as a waiter, cook, and assembly line worker, until in 1965 he took part in a competition organized by Adriano Celentano. There, luck finally turned to face him - he was noticed!
Al Bano releases his first record, tours around the country and finally becomes famous throughout Italy.
In 1970, the wedding of Al Bano Carrisi and Romina Power took place, becoming the most beautiful and talented couple not only in Italy, but in the whole world. Romina Power managed not to be influenced by her mother, who raised two daughters alone and hated all men.
She was able to abandon American stereotypes and build a strong Catholic family, in which the wife is completely subordinate to her husband, the head of the family, whose role was taken by Al Bano. And in Italy they stopped looking askance at Romina, completely calling her “one of their own.” After all, they were an ideal couple.
The epitome of perfection
She wrote poetry, he wrote music. Together they performed their famous Felicita, Ci sara and many others. Based on his music, 7 films were made, in most of them he played the main roles together with Romina.
Beautiful, talented, rich and happy - they became the embodiment of perfection. They managed everything. In 1970, their first child was born - daughter Ilenia, three years later son Jari, then daughters Christel and Romina Jr. In 1976, their family duet represented Italy at Eurovision and took 7th place. They reached the peak of popularity in 1982 at the festival in San Remo.
The couple toured all over the world, and did not bypass the Soviet Union. In Leningrad they even managed to record a record with their best hits. Album after album, prizes at world competitions, fame and love of millions of fans around the world - one can only dream of this, but, alas, happiness does not last forever.
Trouble has come knocking on the house...
On January 6, 1994, Al Bano Carrisi and Romina Power contacted the police to report their eldest daughter missing. The last time they spoke to her was a week ago, when she called from America to wish her family a Happy New Year. She didn't answer any more phone calls. 24-year-old Ilenia went to New Orleans for the famous festival of alternative youth.
The children often flew to America to visit Romina’s many relatives. But this time Ilenia did not stop with them. She had other plans. Music, drugs, sexual freedom - this atmosphere of the festival attracted hundreds of thousands of young people from all over the world. Then dozens of parents knocked on the doorsteps of police stations, begging them to find their missing children. Some of them happened to be found. Most disappeared forever.
This happened with Ilenia. Neither Romina's tearful appeals from television screens asking for at least some information about their daughter, nor their influential connections in America, nor expensive private detectives could return Ilenia.
The Carrisi family was in mourning. Romina was simply distraught with grief: she refused a planned surgical operation, putting her life at risk, and stopped noticing the other three children who needed her care. “I have no life without my daughter!” - she told her husband. As a result, another child - Jari's son - left Italy for Boston.
Al Bano suffered no less than Romina, but he was probably luckier - he was able to find solace in creativity. Yes, loss, grief, but we must continue to live on - for the sake of the family, for the sake of the remaining children, for the sake of our fans, in the end.
Once in an interview, he admitted: “Ilenia is dead, and I have already gotten used to this idea.” Romina did not forgive him for these words. “You betrayed our daughter, and I don’t want to live with a traitor!” - such was her verdict. After all, she herself believed and hoped that her daughter would still be found...
Divorce in Italian
Family is the greatest value of Catholic Italy. Getting married here is easy, but getting divorced is not easy. This takes nerves, overcoming bureaucratic obstacles, large sums of money and years of waiting.
No, they didn’t break dishes, didn’t fight in the streets, didn’t cheat on each other - in general, they deprived the public of the opportunity to gossip about their divorce. And many fans and acquaintances did not fully believe that such a wonderful creative and family duo could break up. It turned out that it could.
In 1995, Al Bano and Romina recorded their last album, and a year later Al Bano alone took part in San Remo with the autobiographical song E’ la mia vita (“This is my life”), at the end of which he falls to his knees. The whole world is sure that this is how he asks for forgiveness from Romina...
But days and months go by, and the well-known couple does not appear on stage. And two years later, the paparazzi captured Al Bano with the Slovak journalist Gabriella Skrabakova, who was 26 years younger than him. According to Al Bano, Gabriella interviewed him and was so sympathetic to the family grief that he fell in love with her.
Many people think that Romina is Italian, but this is not so! Romina was born in the USA to actress Linda Christian and actor Tyrone Power. Her parents divorced, and Romina’s mother, along with her and another daughter, Taryn, went to Italy, then to Mexico. They traveled a lot, but then decided to stay in Italy. However, Romina received her education in England. Already in her teens, Power became interested in music and cinema, and at the age of sixteen, famous directors already invited her to appear in their films. True, the girl’s youth and inexperience played a cruel joke on her.
Roles in erotic films. By the age of sixteen, Power had earned fame as an artist who was ready to undress at the director’s first request. Later, the actress admitted that her mother forced her to act in films of dubious content, who repeated that youth and beauty are perishable goods, so you need to take everything from life while you can. Linda made money on what others considered a disgrace, and Romina, due to her inexperience, obeyed her mother. Linda was present at the filming of erotic scenes and even advised Romina on how to undress correctly and what poses to take. Perhaps Power would have continued to act in such films if not for the fateful meeting. When Romina was seventeen, she starred in the film Nel Sole, where there were no erotic scenes. On the set she met Al Bano. He later said that he did not believe that the girl was 17 years old. She was so thin, exhausted and tired that he immediately took Romina to a cafe to feed her. Thus began the most famous and saddest romance in Italy.
Unsuccessful singing career. Al Bano became the only close person for Power, and besides, he was much older than her. Despite her mother's protests, Romina decides to quit her job in cinema and devote herself to music in order to be closer to her loved one. By that time, Al Bano was already a famous singer, and Romina supported him in every possible way. After recording several of her songs, she quickly realized that she should not expect a brilliant future in music: no one perceived a girl who starred in films of dubious content as a professional singer. This was a blow to Romina’s pride, and perhaps she would have gone into depression if not for the news - Power was expecting a child.
Difficult relationship with the Al Bano family and with his mother. Upon learning of their son’s intention to marry a foreigner with a “past,” Al Bano’s parents were horrified. Despite the fact that they lived very poorly and were simple peasants, they were not pleased with the news. They dissuaded their son and believed that such a girl could not be a good wife for a simple Italian. However, Romina personally talked with her parents and managed to convince them otherwise. It was decided to have a modest wedding due to Power's pregnancy. As for Romina’s mother, she tried in every possible way to prevent the wedding. She called Carrisi an “uncouth lout” and suggested that Romina leave the child in an orphanage. Only when Carrisi offered Linda good money, on which she could live until old age, did the woman leave them alone. She appeared at the wedding only at the end of the ceremony, making it clear with what contempt she treated the Carrisi family.
Happy years and the disappearance of a daughter. The happy marriage of the two lovers lasted until 1994. Al Bano and Romina had four children, and they managed not only to raise children, but also to play music. Carrisi invited Power to work together on stage - this is how the most beautiful and popular duet on the stage appeared in Italy. They won dozens of competitions, recorded a large number of albums, and it seemed that their happiness and success would last forever. The tragedy happened suddenly. In 1994, their eldest daughter Ilenia leaves for America and disappears. Power and Carrisi later admitted that they had missed their daughter. They were too busy with their careers, and the girl grew up on her own. The truth was revealed later - Ilenia became addicted to drugs. However, the parents did not find out about this right away, and then they decided that the girl was tired and slow only because of her studies. Al Bano gave Ilenia a large sum of money and sent him on vacation to the States. They never saw their daughter again. In January 1994, she called her parents and said that she was in New Orleans and would soon give her address. A week later, the couple filed a police report about their daughter’s disappearance. In those days, Romina literally went crazy. And when Carrisi said that Ilenia was most likely dead, Romina put an end to their relationship. She refused to believe in the death of her beloved Ilenia.
Divorce. The search for the girl did not yield any results. For several years, while they were walking, Al Bano and Power practically did not communicate. And when Romina realized that she would never see her daughter again, she told her husband that he had betrayed Ilenia, and she would not live with a traitor. Carrisi did not want to leave Romina and helped her fight depression, but then he realized that nothing could be changed. In 1999, Romina and Al Bano divorced. In an interview, he admitted that their family could not withstand the main test - the loss of a child. After the divorce, Romina met an American farmer via the Internet, went to the USA and married him. The marriage didn't work out. In recent years, Power rarely gives interviews and does not appear in public. She is said to live in India for several months of the year. The quiet and measured life at the temple calms her down and gives her hope that someday her Ilenia will definitely return.
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The Brindisi court has reopened the case of the disappearance of Ilenia Maria Sole Carrisi, daughter of Al Bano Carrisi and Romina Power, who disappeared without a trace and inexplicably on December 31, 1993 in New Orleans (USA). The reason was the confession of a truck driver from the American state of Florida, who claims that he killed a girl named Susan. This is exactly what Ilenia called herself during her trip to America.
As the singer himself noted, it is possible that this time it will finally be possible to put an end to this “bitter and painful” matter. Italian law enforcement agencies have already taken saliva samples from Al Bano and his children to conduct a genetic examination to determine the DNA of the found corpse of the murdered girl.
Al Bano, Romina Power and little Ilenia
Al Bano, Romina Power and Ilenia, 1982
According to investigators, the girl was killed at a gas station in Tampa, Florida, in early 1994, which coincides with the story of Ilenia, who disappeared on December 31, 1993. Trucker Keith Hunter Jesperson, who was arrested in 1995 and sentenced to three life sentences for killing eight people, confessed to the murder. According to him, he killed a certain girl named Susan. Ilenia's friends confirmed that she chose this name as a pseudonym for her trip to America. Jesperson admitted that one of his victims was hitchhiking with a backpack over his shoulders. She asked for a ride to California. According to investigators, the dates coincide.
In addition, a composite sketch of the murdered girl confirms her resemblance to Al Bano’s daughter. At the moment, we just have to wait for the results of a genetic examination, which will clarify a lot.
From left to right: Romina Power, her brother Tyrone, Ilenia and Al Bano
Romina Power now lives in the United States, where she learned about new details in the case of her daughter’s disappearance. She will soon return to Italy to provide saliva samples and monitor developments.
Al Bano refused to make any comments on the case, noting that “the police asked us to provide saliva samples, we did it, we will wait for the results.” But it is not difficult to read between the lines all the bitterness and pain of a father who lost his beloved daughter. All these years, Al Bano and Romina Power were skeptical of all suggestions that their daughter was alive, and she was seen either in one of the monasteries or in Arizona. But the hope of finding out the truth about what happened to Ilenya did not fade away. Despite the fact that in December 2014, by a local court decision, Ilenia Carrisi was declared dead. In November 2012, Al Bano himself made a request to the court to recognize his daughter as dead.
It is possible that soon, thanks to the close cooperation of the Italian carabinieri with their American colleagues, the twenty-year torment of the Carrisi family will be put to an end and the case of the missing Ilenia will be put to rest.
Cover of Chi magazine": Al Bano, Romina Power and Ilenia
Let us add that Ilenia is the eldest daughter of Al Bano and Romina Power. On December 30, 1993, the girl went to South America to collect material for a book about marginalized people. At first, the parents were not worried that Ilenia went overseas alone: the girl was already an experienced traveler and even often paid for her trips herself - a college student, she worked as a nanny.
A few days later it became clear that she was missing. The last city where she was seen leaving a hotel was Orleans. Interpol and even the Sicilian mafia were looking for the missing daughter of Al Bano and Romina, but to no avail. There were rumors in New Orleans that the saxophonist Alexander Masakella, with whom Ilenia lived before her disappearance, was a mystic, a sorcerer, a member of a sect, that he knew how to keep women under his influence and that Ilenia was crazy about him. Masakella was initially arrested but later released due to lack of evidence. There was talk about ritual suicide and murder, but none of these versions could be proven.
Brindisi, Tatyana Gordeeva
Brindisi. Other news 11/17/15
© 2015, RIA “New Day”
The wedding of 30-year-old Christelle has become one of the most anticipated events of this year in Italy.
Italians have been waiting for this wedding for a long time, Al Bano Carrisi is a real idol in the country, the famous hit “Felicità” performed by the singer and his ex-wife Romina Power is still sung by their fans all over the world.
On September 3, they married their eldest daughter Christelle to a Chilean billionaire. 33-year-old Davor Luksic is the heir to the owner of a chain of hotels, banks and the copper industry.
Photo: Valentina Costa and Andrea dal Prato
“The meeting between Kristel and Davor took place in New York,” the organizers told Woman’s Day weddings Victoria Kursova and Eleonora Ziganshina. - In the company of mutual friends, the girl was introduced to a young man from a very respected and wealthy family. He is young, good-looking, well-mannered and? most importantly, he has a genuine love for Italy. The young blond beauty could not resist this set of exquisite qualities.”
For some time, the lovers met, traveled together, and then the day came when Davor presented Christel with a ring with a huge diamond. Oh, she was happy and of course she said yes.
The wedding took place in the south of Italy, in the town of Cellino San Marco, where Albano Carrisi was born and lives all his life. In one of his ancient estates of the 16th century, a banquet was organized for 480 guests. All this was achieved with the help of the Verona wedding agency Palazzoeventi.
“Our main goal was to transform the ancient property into an exclusive space for this grand wedding celebration. The peculiarity of the building was that it did not have a roof or any amenities. So our team of wedding preparation experts had to work hard to create a real fairy tale,” recall the co-owners of the Italian agency.
Everyone was delighted with the luxurious decorations with a sea of flowers, a varied program of entertainment and a concert of famous international artists, including Albano’s close friends. The song “Felicità” performed by the bride’s parents Al Bano and Romina moved the guests to tears, because there are those who still believe that one of the most beautiful couples of the 80s will reunite again.
The favorite designer of Italian celebrities, Carlo Pignatelli, created one of the bride's dresses with a 4-meter long hand-embroidered veil, a tuxedo for Al Bano and gold dresses for the celebration organizers.
“Wedding dress code is tuxedos for men and long dresses for beautiful ladies. The olive branch became the symbol of the celebration, so everything was decorated in green and white, the girls continue. - Rich decorations also emphasized the chosen theme of love for one’s native land, which was evident in all the design details. Christel's exquisite hairstyle was decorated with a precious hairpin in the shape of an olive branch, which was given to her by the groom's mother. Davor, in turn, chose a stylish suit from Tom Ford.”