Francesco Fois passed away in Samassi at the age of 90.
Forty-one years ago, it was October 20, 1983, the then 49-year-old entrepreneur in the entertainment field had brought Madonna, unknown to most, to the Biggest, the mega disco in his town, about 40 kilometers from Cagliari, a meeting point in those years in Sardinia of the people of the night.
The first live in Italy of the future rock star therefore took place on the island, where the episode of the cult Rai Disco Ring program was recorded, created by Gianni Boncompagni and hosted by Isabel Russinova, Anna Pettinelli and Emanuela Falcetti, which aired three days after the concert at Biggest.
It was a great event: an immense crowd applauded Madonna, who, despite not knowing the artist, had intuited that the evening would be memorable.
And then the three well-known presenters of Disco Ring were also the driving force.
The concert was interrupted and then resumed due to a bomb threat.
The artist, total black look, chains, bracelets, pendants with the cross, was still distant, but already visible, from the iconic and irreverent outfits that transformed her into a true fashion icon.
Francesco Fois didn't yet know that that American artist would become one of the biggest pop rock stars in the world.
But he had been right: he had been far-sighted and had certainly intuited the potential, the determination and the bewitching charm of this American artist with roots in the south of Italy. At the time there was still little talk about her, then from there it has established itself very little in the world.
A modest, man of few words, Francesco Fois never boasted of this feat.
Passionate about music, he had returned to Sardinia from Sweden at the end of the 70s, where he had emigrated in search of work: he had brought home some savings and many new ideas.
His great dream was the disco: he succeeded with the Biggest, the largest and most modern in Sardinia, the most technologically advanced.
He has never sought or lived in the spotlight.
He left on tiptoe, as he had lived his moments of glory without celebration.
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