Former Italian prime minister and senator Silvio Berlusconi died this morning at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan at the age of 86.
His brother Paolo and his children Eleonora, Barbara, Marina and Pier Silvio arrived at the Lombard clinic where the former Prime Minister and leader of Forza Italia had been admitted Friday for “scheduled checkups” related to his chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. Also aggravating the former Cavaliere’s picture was a lung infection.
After his beginnings as a building contractor, at the turn of the late 1970s and 1980s Berlusconi became one of the emblematic figures of Italian entrepreneurship, thanks to his pioneering role in the development of the private television sector and the numerous trophies he won during his 28 years as president of AC Milan (including 7 Scudetti and 5 Champions Leagues).
Since entering politics in 1994, Berlusconi had led fewer than four governments before stepping down in 2011 to make way for a technical executive in the midst of a financial crisis.
The Mediaset founder led the center-right Forza Italia party (with the interlude of the Popolo della Libertà) for nearly 30 years. In the last election, his political creature became part of the governing coalition led by Giorgia Meloni, while Berlusconi was elected senator.
Among the most controversial figures in the history of the Italian Republic, Berlusconi was regarded by his supporters as an able and charismatic politician who elevated the international status of the Belpaese. His detractors, on the other hand, repeatedly branded him as a demagogue adept at exploiting his immense media power and political influence for his own commercial gain.
