Billionaire media mogul and former Prime Minister of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, has died at the age 86.
Berlusconi, who had been suffering from leukaemia and recently, a lung infection, died on Monday, at the San Rafaelle hospital in Milan.
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Italian Defense Minister, Guido Crosetto, said via Twitter that Berlusconi’s death leaves a “huge void” and marked the end of an era.
“I loved him very much. Goodbye Silvio,” Crosetto said.
Well known for his brash and ebullient personality, Berlusconi led Italy three times from 1994-1995, 2001-2006 and 2008-2011. He stepped down as prime minister for the last time in 2011 as Italy came close to a Greece-style debt crisis, facing several scandals.
Since 2019, Berlusconi had served as a member of the European Parliament.
Born Sept. 29, 1936, Berlusconi was the controlling shareholder of Mediaset, Italy’s largest commercial broadcaster.
In June 2023, his fortune was estimated at around $7 billion. He also owned Italian football club, AC Milan, from 1986 to 2017.
His nine years as prime minister made him the third-longest head of government in Italy after fascist dictators, Benito Mussolini and Giovanni Giolitti.
Berlusconi faced numerous scandals and trials over tax schemes and sexual escapades.
In 2013, Berlusconi was convicted on charges that he paid for sex with 17-year-old underage nightclub dancer, Karima El-Mahroug, at one of his parties.
He was sentenced to seven years in prison and banned from public office for life but in 2019, Italy’s highest court ordered him acquitted.