Jimmy Fontana: Singer who worked with Ennio Morricone

Jimmy Fontana, who died on 11 September at the age of 78, was an Italian pop singer who scored big hits in the 1960s with 'Il Mondo' (EPA)

Jimmy Fontana, who died on 11 September at the age of 78, was an Italian pop singer who scored big hits in the 1960s with "Il Mondo", which he co-wrote, and which was arranged by Ennio Morricone, and "Che Sara". The latter (not to be confused with "Que Sera, Sera") was covered by Jose Feliciano in Italian, Spanish (as "Que Sera") and English (as "Shake a Hand").

Born Enrico Sbriccoli in Camerino, he took the name "Jimmy" from the musician Jimmy Giuffre and "Fontana" from an arbitrary name out of the phone book, early in his career. His other hits included "Non te ne andare" (1963); "Il mondo" reached the top of the Italian charts in 1965, while "La mia serenata" won the Disco per l'estate Festival in 1967.

At the 1969 Cantagiro summer festival he sang a cover version of the Tom Jones hit "Delilah", renamed "La nostra favola"; the song made No 2 in the Italian hit parade.

Fontana, who also starred in six 1960s Elvis-style films, was a regular on Italian TV until a recent illness.