Carrà died on Monday afternoon following an illness that she kept private, announced her former partner and long-time collaborator Sergio Japino.

“Raffaella has left us,” Japino said.

“She went to a better world, where her humanity, her unmistakable laugh and her extraordinary talent will shine forever.”

Born in the north Italian city of Bologna in 1943, Carrà was affectionately nicknamed the “queen of Italian TV”.

She enjoyed a successful career in show business, acting in numerous movies — including opposite Frank Sinatra and others in Von Ryan’s Express (1965) — and earning fame singing, dancing and presenting popular television shows.

She also had much success hosting television shows and releasing records in the Spanish language, making her a star in Spain and South America.

With her energetic presence and strong, almost husky singing voice, the trim Carrà was a wildly popular staple in the early heyday decades of Rai, especially when it was the only nationwide TV broadcaster.

With often sexy costumes, Carrà also was credited with helping Italian women be more confident with their bodies and their sexuality, once even baring her belly button during a TV performance.

But she could also be devastatingly classy in her dress and manners.

Raffaella Carrà on November 2, 1979. (Photo: AAP)

She was a gay icon across Europe, and became regarded as a feminist icon, too: in its original Italian version, Do It, Do It Again encourages women to take control during sex.

Carrà continued her TV career until 2019, including as a judge on the Italian edition of The Voice.

Former Italian prime minister and media magnate, Silvio Berlusconi, mourned Carrà’s passing, calling her “one of the symbols of Italian television, perhaps the most beloved personality”.

“She knew how to speak to various different generations, having the ability to always remain current with the times and without ever descending into vulgarity,” Berlusconi wrote on Facebook.

Meanwhile, Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said Carrà “was the lady of Italian television”.

President Sergio Mattarella recalled Carrà as the “face of television par excellence”.

“She transmitted, with her talent and her likeability, a message of elegance, kindness and optimism,” Mattarella added.