Paoli was a central figure in a school ​of songwriters from the northern Italian city ⁠of Genoa, alongside Fabrizio De Andre and Luigi ​Tenco, who brought literary ambition and emotional realism to ​Italian pop music in the post‑war era.

In a career spanning more than six decades, Paoli remained an influential presence in ​Italian music well into old age, with many ​of his enduring songs recorded by other artists, including Ornella Vanoni, with ‌whom ⁠he had an intense love affair.

Known for his understated delivery and reflective lyrics, among the best-loved numbers he performed himself were “Quattro Amici” (Four Friends) and “La Gatta” (The ​cat).

Prone to depression, ​in 1963, ⁠shortly after writing “Sapore di sale,” Paoli shot himself in the chest, but the ​suicide attempt failed, and the bullet lodged ​in ⁠the pericardium membrane that surrounds the heart.

“I wasn’t enjoying myself anymore,” he said in a 2022 interview ⁠with the daily ​Corriere della Sera. “Seeing as I ​enjoyed myself a lot afterwards, it’s a good thing that it ​went wrong.”