Italy's greatest clown and Federico Fellini favourite, Carlo Colombaioni, has died in France at the age of 75.
The last of a generation of traditional clowns, the Ancona-born performer worked as both an actor and advisor on circus scenes for Italian director Fellini, contributing to the films La Strada, I Clown, Amarcord, Roma and Casanova.
He also worked with Nobel prize-winning writer Dario Fo.
Colombaioni came from a clowning family and learnt his art from his father.
He honed his talents as a clown, acrobat, juggler, mime and trapeze artist at the circus before taking his act to the theatre.
He later moved to a house near Lyons, but in recent years performed at the Jack and Joe Theatre in Cerbaia Val di Pesa outside Florence, where he was due to start a new season at the end of the month.
Colombaioni continued teaching clowning to new generations throughout his life, and can be seen on YouTube giving one of his final master classes in Cannes in 2007.
His funeral will be held at Ostia Antica outside Rome on May 20.
