«Dad had four great loves: Naples, Music, Bancolotto and mine mother rose». With these words, Francis Merola – heir of the “King of the Skip” Mario Merola – he loved to remember his famous father and his passions. In the last few hours she died at the age of 83, after a long illness, Rose Serrapigliathe widow of Mario Merola, who died in 2006. It was her son Francesco who announced the woman’s death, who entrusted his message to social networks: “Mom, go hug dad, you are in my heart for eternity”.
The surgery
Undergoing major surgery in the last few days, Mrs. Rosa seemed to be going through a phase of clinical improvement, but the disease took over. Her funeral will be celebrated in the church of San Ciro, in Portici, today (April 10) at 5.30 pm
Memories
Among the first to remember the link between Rosa and Mario was the popular Neapolitan radio host and author Gianni Simioli, a personal friend of the Merola family, posting a photo of the couple on Facebook with his comment, which received thousands of likes and shares in a few hours: «Together again. Goodbye Mrs. Rose.’ Over the past few years, Francesco Merola has assumed the scepter of Don Mario and has become an ambassador of the long tradition of the skit, of which his father was the most famous witness: just recently, the singer had been a guest of Serena Bortone in the Rai Uno afternoon talk-show “Today is another day” and had recounted the deep bond of love between his parents, often marked by Mario Merola’s long trips to the United States of America. «Dad went on long tours in the USA – revealed his son Francesco – which kept him away from home for two or three months. My mother, in those moments, was our point of reference and the real center of the house, for our whole family».
Andrew Sannino
The singer-songwriter of “Abbracciame” Andrea Sannino, who interpreted Merola’s classic “Chitarra Rossa”, recalled «the humanity, kindness, sweetness and love of this wonderful woman. Her table always had a place for everyone, and whoever sat down at least once became her son, her grandson. She was a mother and then a grandmother for entire generations ».
