Beloved Italian Entertainer Raffaella Carrà Dies at 78

ROME - Raffaella Carrà, for decades one of Italian television's most beloved entertainers, a woman affectionately nicknamed the "queen of Italian TV," died Monday at 78, Italian state TV quoted her family as saying. 

Rai state TV read a statement from the star's family, announcing that she died in Rome after a long illness. No further details were released.  With her energetic presence and strong, almost husky, singing voice, the trim Carrà was a wildly popular staple in the early heyday decades of Rai, especially when it was the only nationwide TV broadcaster.  With often sexy costumes — daring by state TV standards in a country where the Vatican wields considerable influence — Carrà also was credited with helping Italian women become more confident with their bodies and their sexuality, once even baring her belly button during a TV performance.