Francesco Puccioni (26 April 1961 – 30 January 2009), better known under his

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Mike Francis, was an Italian singer and composer, born in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, Italy. Internationally, he was best known for his 1984 hit, "

Survivor Survivor(s) may refer to: * one who survives Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Survivors, characters in the 1997 KKnD series#Armies, ''KKnD'' video-game series * ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Foundation'', a fictional ...

", and his collaborations with American singer

Amii Stewart Amy Paulette "Amii" Stewart (born January 29, 1956) is an American disco and soul singer who found prominence with her 1979 U.S. Billboard number 1 hit cover of Eddie Floyd's song "Knock on Wood", often considered a classic of the disco genre. ...

Career

Puccioni formed his first band at age 14 with schoolmates from l'Istituto di Studi Americano in Rome. Under the stage name Mike Francis, he had his first hit with "Survivor" in 1984 and went on to record ten studio albums. Among his best known works is the song "

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...

", a duet with

released in 1984 which became a big hit in the UK and the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. Beginning in 2000, assisted by his brother Mario (Mari-One) and by the Maltese multi-instrumentalist

Aidan Zammit Aidan Zammit is a musician from Sliema, Malta. He has lived in Italy since 1985. Biography He has worked as a composer, musician and singer with several artists, including Mike Francis, Niccolò Fabi, Andrea Bocelli, Nicola Piovani, Vincenzo ...

, he founded the group Mystic Diversions. The group's songs were featured on many high-profile

chill-out Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...

and

lounge Lounge may refer to: Architecture * Lounge, the living room of a dwelling * Lounge, a public waiting area in a hotel's lobby * Lounge, a style of commercial alcohol- bar * Airport lounge or train lounge (e.g., Amtrak's Acela Lounge), a premium ...

compilations. In addition to new, original song material, they also performed covers of 1970s and 1980s songs like " Float On" (by

the Floaters The Floaters were an American Rhythm and blues, R&B vocal group, from the Sojourner Truth Project, Sojourner Truth housing projects in Detroit, Michigan, that formed in 1976. The group are best known for their 1977 song "Float On (The Floaters s ...

) and "A Warm Summer Night" (by

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English dictionaries classified ...

). Together with the trio, additional musicians for live sets consisted of Agostino Marangolo (drums), Fabio Pignatelli (bass), Marco Rinalduzzi (guitars), Giovanni Imparato (percussion and vocals), as well as Wendy Lewis and Laura Serra (backing vocals). Francis' 2007 album ''Inspired'' contains several covers such as " Summer Breeze" (

Seals & Crofts Seals and Crofts were an American soft rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1969 by James Eugene Seals (October 17, 1942 – June 6, 2022) and Darrell George "Dash" Crofts (born August 14, 1938). They are best known for their hits " Su ...

), "

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

" (

Culture Club Culture Club are an English new wave music, new wave band formed in London in 1981. The band comprises Boy George (lead vocals), Roy Hay (musician), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), and Mikey Craig (bass guitar), and formerly included Jon Moss ( ...

), " Thinking of You" (

Sister Sledge Sister Sledge was an American musical vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1971, the group consists of sisters Joni, Kim, Debbie, and Kathy Sledge. The siblings achieved international success at the height of the disco era. I ...

) and "

Nothing Can Come Between Us "Nothing Can Come Between Us" is a song by English band Sade from their third studio album, ''Stronger Than Pride'' (1988). It was released as the album's third single on 15 August 1988 by Epic, reaching number 92 on the UK Singles Chart and num ...

" (

Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine; namesake of the word ''sadism'' * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * ...

), as well as collaborations with

Blank & Jones Blank & Jones are a German electronic music group, consisting of Jan Pieter Blank (born June 15, 1971), known as Piet Blank; René Runge (born June 27, 1968), better known as DJ Jaspa Jones; and the producer Andy Kaufhold (N*D*K) (born December ...

on "Roots", "I Love You", the

Van Morrison Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...

cover " Someone Like You" and the

Labi Siffre Claudius Afolabi "Labi" Siffre ( , born 25 June 1945) is a British singer, songwriter and poet. Siffre released six albums from 1970 to 1975 and four from 1988 to 1998. His compositions include " It Must Be Love", which reached number 14 on the ...

cover " Down". "Someone Like You" appears on the compilation album ''Café del Mar Vol. 12''. Francis' website states him as saying: "From that moment many other songs were born in a simple and spontaneous way, simply "inspired"..."

Death

Puccioni died aged 47 on 30 January 2009 of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

.Obituary
''Corriere'' (Italian). His last compilation album ''The Very Best of Mike Francis (All Was Missing)'' was released just days before his death.

Discography

Albums

*1984 – ''Let's Not Talk About It'' *1985 – ''Features'' *1986 – ''Mike Francis'' *1987 – ''Songs'' (compilation) *1988 – ''Flashes of Life'' *1989 – ''Features of Love'' (reprint ''Features'' - 1985) *1989 – ''Dreams of a Lifetime'' (reprint ''Mike Francis'' - 1986) *1990 – ''Live at Manila'' (live) *1991 – ''Mike Francis in Italiano'' *1992 – ''Classics'' (compilation) *1994 – ''Francesco Innamorato'' *1995 – ''The Very Best – Live'' (live compilation) *1995 – ''A Different Air'' *1995 – ''A Different Air'' (Philippines edition) *1998 – ''Misteria'' *1998 – ''The Best Of'' (compilation) *1999 – ''All Rooms with a View'' *1999 – ''I Grandi Successi'' (compilation) *2000 – ''I Grandi Successi Originali – "Flashback"'' (compilation) *2000 – ''Crossing the Liquid Mirror'' (as Mystic Diversions) *2002 – ''Beneath Another Sky'' (as Mystic Diversions) *2003 – ''Colours'' (as Mystic Diversions) *2006 – ''From the Distance'' (as Mystic Diversions) *2007 – ''Wave a Little Light'' (as Mystic Diversions) *2007 – ''Inspired'' *2008 – ''Let's Not Talk About It'' (Japan reprint) *2008 – ''Flashes of Life'' (Japan reprint) *2009 – ''The Very Best of Mike Francis (All Was Missing)'' (compilation) *2011 - ''Anthology'' (compilation) *2011 - ''The Best of...'' (compilation)

Singles

*1982 – "Love Has Found You" *1983 – "

" *1984 – "Let Me In" (featuring Rossana Casale) *1984 – "

" (with

) *1985 – "Features of Love" *1985 – "

Together ''ToGetHer'' (, aka Superstar Express) is a 2009 Taiwanese drama starring Jiro Wang of Fahrenheit, Rainie Yang and George Hu. It was produced by Comic International Productions ( 可米國際影視事業股份有限公司) and directed by Linzi ...

" (with Amii Stewart) *1986 – "Iron It Out"/"You Can't Get Out of My Heart" *1987 – "Suddenly Back to Me" *1988 – "Still I'm Runnin' Back to You" *1989 – "Survivor '89" *1991 – "Livin' It Up" *1991 – "Se Tu Provi" *1992 – "I Want You" *1994 – "Bellissimi Occhi Chiusi"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Francis, Mike 1961 births 2009 deaths Deaths from lung cancer in Lazio Chill-out musicians Smooth jazz musicians Italian male composers Italian Italo disco musicians Musicians from Florence English-language singers from Italy 20th-century Italian male singers 21st-century Italian male singers RCA Records artists