Giancarlo Golzi, member of the group Matia Bazar who represented Italy at the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 in Jerusalem, has passed away at age 63, on August 12.

Giancarlo Golzi was born in Sanremo in 1952. He was one of the founders of the group Matia Bazar from Italy, who participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 1979 in Jerusalem, Israel. In Jerusalem, the band performed the song Raggio di luna, co-written by Golzi, who also drummed on stage. The song eventually earned a 15th place out of 18 contestants, with 27 points.

Matia Bazar built a successful career throughout the ’70s and ’80s, on to today. Founded in 1974 in Genoa, Italy, they won the prestigious Sanremo Music Festival in 1978 with the song E dirsi ciao. A year later they represented Italy at Eurovision. In 1986 they had a worldwide hit with Ti sento. They once again won the Sanremo Music Festival in 2002 with Messaggio d’amore.

Throughout the years, Giancarlo Golzi remained one of the core members of the group, who is still one of the popular bands of Italy.

Watch Matia Bazar with Giancarlo Golzi perform Raggio di luna during Eurovision 1979:

Also enjoy Matia Bazar’s 1986 hit Ti sento once again:

Stay tuned to ESCToday.com for all the latest news on the Eurovision Song Contest!