Silvio Berlusconi, the media tycoon who defied a succession of scandals to tower over Italian politics for decades, has died, according to Italian media. He was 86.
Berlusconi’s Mediaset television network announced his death on Monday alongside a smiling photo of the man on its homepage. A cause of death was not immediately clear.
Italy’s longest-serving premier, Berlusconi formed the country’s largest media company before using his fame and wealth as the launchpad for a political career that saw him lead Italy three times.
He had been diagnosed with leukemia in April after years of ill health and was admitted to the hospital for what doctors described as a scheduled check-up on Friday related to a lung infection.
Berlusconi had heart surgery in 2016 and previously suffered from prostate cancer. He has been repeatedly hospitalized over the past couple of years after contracting Covid-19 in 2020.
Political allies paid tribute Monday to a man who fiercely divided opinion but had nevertheless been a part of Italian public life for more than 40 years.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini called him a “great Italian” and said he had lost a “great friend.” Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said his death marked the “end of an era.”
Broadcasting and bunga bunga
Berlusconi made his fortune through his television channels and was a long-time owner of the A.C. Milan soccer team before entering politics.
He served as prime minister in three separate stints, from 1994 to 1995, from 2001 to 2006 and from 2008 to 2011
But he was just as well known for his controversial private life, where sex-fueled parties and allegations of corruption followed him for years.
Berlusconi gained worldwide notoriety as the host of so-called bunga bunga parties, private dinners that allegedly led to shows performed by young and attractive guests.
An Italian court acquitted Berlusconi in February over allegations of paying witnesses to lie in an underage prostitution case that has dogged the former prime minister for more than a decade.
Berlusconi was accused of bribing 24 people, mostly young, female guests at the parties, in a previous trial where he was charged with paying for sex with a 17-year-old Moroccan nightclub dancer.
Berlusconi remained an active politician until his death.
He sat in the Senate, the Italian Parliament’s upper house, and yet again stirred controversy in recent months by criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, putting him at odds with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition government.
Berlusconi’s Forza Italia Party is part of the government, but he did not have a role himself. He was also a member of the European Parliament.
This is a breaking story, please check back here for updates.
Associated Press contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
