Peppino di Capri's last interview: Onassis, casinos, songs
DIRECT ANSWER: Italian singer Peppino di Capri died on July 11, 2026, on Capri after a long illness, at 86 years old. Corriere della Sera republished his last interview from summer 2025, in which he recalled playing piano for Jacqueline Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis and said his first wife Roberta sometimes gambled his show earnings at casinos the same night.
For readers following notizie del mondo, the timing matters: Italy is mourning a twist-era icon while his unfiltered memories circulate globally. Corriere recorded the conversation at his Capri villa with Michela Proietti. After his death, RaiNews and ANSA confirmed the loss of Giuseppe Faiella, the Sanremo double-winner behind Champagne and Roberta. More global coverage sits in our Future Tech & AI Wonders section.
Key Takeaways
- Peppino di Capri died July 11, 2026; funeral services were held July 12 at Santo Stefano in Capri.
- His final Corriere interview from summer 2025 was republished after his death.
- He described playing for Jacqueline Kennedy and Onassis, and Roberta gambling show earnings at casinos.
- His career spanned seven decades, with two Sanremo wins and fifteen festival appearances.
- Son Edoardo told ANSA that Il sognatore captures his father's soul.
Why does Peppino di Capri's last interview matter now?
It is the most intimate record of a voice that shaped Italian pop for more than sixty years. Born in Capri on July 27, 1939, Faiella performed as a child and later became Peppino di Capri when guitarist Mario Cenci dropped the surname Faiella for superstition.
RaiNews notes fifteen Sanremo editions, wins in 1973 and 1976, and a 2023 career prize. ANSA calls him a dreamer of the twist revolution who made Neapolitan song cool for young audiences. Republishing the piece lets fans hear those stories in his own words.
What did he reveal about Jacqueline Kennedy and Onassis?
Peppino said he played for Jacqueline Kennedy, remembering her as beautiful, kind, and always smiling. They usually arrived with six people. He did not recognize Onassis, who rested his elbow on the piano and stared through oversized glasses.
He asked his uncle Ciro, the club owner, to remove the guest. Ciro refused: Onassis had ordered six bottles of champagne, so Peppino should keep playing. Onassis later invited them to breakfast aboard his yacht Christina.
Who was Roberta, and what happened to the casino earnings?
Roberta Stoppa, a former model, was his first wife. They met on Ischia and married soon after. Peppino joked she would have been an influencer today. With early earnings he opened the Splash, Capri's first discotheque, which Roberta ran.
The biopic Champagne portrays her as a gambler, and Peppino confirmed that sometimes the night's performance income went straight to a casino. She also threw lavish parties, once flying porchetta from Rome by helicopter. He renamed Lo sai to Roberta one night and woke her to tell her.
What legacy did Italy's twist pioneer leave behind?
ANSA reports Let's Twist Again topped charts for thirty-two weeks and that he opened for the Beatles in Italy in 1965. His last public performance came about a year before his death, singing Champagne at Capri's Certosa di San Giacomo. Tributes came from Gianni Morandi and Massimo Ranieri among others. Peppino closed the interview with no regrets, calling himself a fulfilled man.