Internationally acclaimed singer and TV host Lara Saint Paul, aged 73

Internationally acclaimed singer and record producer Silvana Savorelli, known to her fans as Lara Saint Paul, has died aged 73 after a battle with cancer.

The Italian-Eritrean vocalist, whose music ranged from pop to jazz, is also credited with bringing the 1980s aerobics dance craze to Italy.

Working with American actress Jane Fonda, the aerobics programme she founded included a video, book and music album, achieving cult status in Italy and seeing aerobic clubs licensed under her name.

Saint Paul’s music enjoyed domestic and international success, with strong fan bases across Europe, as well as Argentina and Japan.

However, the majority of her work was released in Italy on the record label Company Discografica Italiana and later LASAPA, both of which she owned with her husband, Italian producer and showman Pier Quinto Cariaggi.

Saint Paul performed with music royalty of the day including Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder and Frank Sinatra and later went into television, as a presenter and producer.

Her 1992 Lara Superspecial television show was broadcast in 19 countries and featured household names such as Frank Sinatra, Liza Minnelli, Harry Belafonte and Luciano Pavarotti and using her married name of Lara Cariaggi, she co-produced and wrote an in-depth television documentary on opera singer Luciano Pavarotti,

She remained a regular presence on Italian television, co-presenting and co-producing the Italian awards show Viva Hollywood, which began in 1988.

The show brought Hollywood stars to Italy to present them with a Merit of Achievement Award for their work and was a ratings success, with Bette Davis the first recipient and some of the winners, including Kirk Douglas, had personal audiences with Pope John Paul II arranged for them.

Her later years were dogged by ill health and she was granted a state pension for artists and writers suffering poverty, under the 1985 Bachelli Law.

Lara Saint Paul.