Paolo Carù, the historic record dealer listed among the most authoritative in the world by The Guardian, has died

He died this morning, Friday 14 June, Paolo Carù. The 77-year-old was the owner of one of the most famous record shops in the world, ‘Carù disco’ in Piazza Garibaldi in Gallarate (in the province of Varese). His family found him lifeless in his home collaborators who were alarmed when they didn’t see him arrive at the shop. Numerous messages of condolence from all over the world.

Carù had inherited the shop from his father Luigi in 1967, when he was only 20 years old. From that moment it had become a point of reference for the world of Lombard and European music, with customers arriving in Gallarate precisely to visit the ‘Carù discos’ in Piazza Garibaldi. Thanks to the friendships he has built over years of activity, he has been able to enrich his collection and offer unique vinyl records.

In addition to running the shop, Carù managed to found two magazines: Wild moss And Buscadero, and of the latter he was also director. In 2016 the The Guardian had inserted the ‘Cantù discos’ among the most famous indie vinyl stores in the world.

“It is a serious loss for all of Gallarate”, declared the mayor Andrea Cassani: “In addition to the public side, in recent months I have also been able to appreciate the human side since relationships necessarily became more frequent due to his wife’s health problems. He was very close to his wife Anna and that detachment necessary for her health had put him to the test. Now this tragedy leaves us stunned and is a serious loss for the family, for the city and for all music fans.”

Many, especially on Facebook, remember Carù with affection, underlining how important that record shopkeeper was to their life musical growth. The 77-year-old had a private collection of around 60 thousand records.