Lucio Dalla, the Italian singer-songwriter, has died whilst on tour

Italian singer-songwriter, Lucio Dalla, died today (Thursday) in Switzerland whilst in the middle of a European tour.

It seems that Dalla, 68, died of a heart attack. He apparently fell ill after he ate breakfast CBS News reports.

Dalla sold millions of records worldwide and is much loved in his native Italy and worldwide.

He mastered all areas of music from folk to jazz to classical. His last concert was Wednesday in Montreux's for part of its culture season.

Dalla regularly performed abroad, including in the United States.

Italy's president, Giorgio Napolitano, was among those quickly paying tribute.

"(Dalla was) a strong and original voice who contributed to renew and promote Italian song in the world. He was an artist beloved by so many Italians of several generations," the president said in a condolence message.

Dalla was the composer of Caruso (1986), which has been covered by numerous international artists. A version of Caruso sung by Luciano Pavarotti sold over 9 million copies, and another version was a track on Andrea Bocelli's first international album Romanza, which later sold over 16 million copies worldwide.

Hear him perform Caruso in Verona below: