Silvio Berlusconi, the billionaire media mogul and former Italian prime minister who transformed the nation’s politics with polarising policies and often alarmed his allies with his brazen remarks, died on Monday aged 86.
Berlusconi, Italy’s longest-serving premier who counted Russian President Vladimir Putin as a friend and gained notoriety for his “bunga bunga” sex parties, had suffered from leukaemia and recently developed a lung infection.
He died at Milan’s San Raffaele hospital, where he was admitted on Friday. Four of his five children and his brother Paolo were at his bedside, ANSA reported shortly before his death was announced.
A state funeral will be held in Milan on Wednesday.
Backed by huge wealth and a media, real estate and football empire, Berlusconi launched into politics in 1994, upending traditional parties and becoming premier. Another businessman, Donald Trump, would mirror that approach in the United States two decades later.
Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party is now a junior partner in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition, and although he himself did not have a role in government, his death may bring fresh realignments in Italian politics.
His business empire also faces an uncertain future. He never publicly indicated who would take full charge of his MFE (MFEB.MI) company following his death, even though his eldest daughter Marina is expected to play a prominent role.
Reuters
