Flamboyant Italian media mogul and former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who made headlines with media deals, his partying ways, sex scandals, and corruption allegations alike, has died at the age of 86. Italian media outlets and the BBC reported the news.
According to local media reports, he died at the San Raffaele Hospital in Milan. A cause of death wasn’t immediately detailed.
The tycoon made a name for himself as the controlling shareholder of media conglomerate Mediaset. He first came to political office in 1994 and led four governments until 2011. He is Italy’s longest-serving prime minister since World War II.
In April, he was treated for a lung infection linked to a previous case of chronic leukemia. In 2020, he spent time in a hospital after contracting COVID-19. In 1997, Berlusconi successfully battled prostate cancer, including by surgery. In 2006, Berlusconi had heart tests after fainting during a speech. A few weeks later he received a pacemaker at a U.S. hospital. He also has had bowel surgery and suffered an inflammatory eye condition in the past.
The former prime minister and controlling shareholder of Mediaset formed the center-right party Forza Italia more than 25 years ago. The party has steadily lost popularity with voters in recent years as Berlusconi battled legal problems linked to his media business and his famed ’’bunga bunga parties.” After being convicted of tax fraud in 2013, he had to surrender his Senate seat. He is currently a lawmaker in the European Parliament.
