![]() "And even those who faced him as a political opponent must recognise that he never lacked courage, passion, (and) tenacity," he wrote.īerlusconi began his career as a real estate magnate before investing in television channels which broke the mould in Italy, featuring shows particularly popular with housewives, later a pillar of his electorate. "Many loved him, many hated him: everyone today must recognise that his impact on political but also economic, sporting and television life was unprecedented," he said.Įlly Schlein, leader of the centre-left opposition Democratic Party, said Berlusconi's death "marks the end of an era".īerlusconi led Italy three times between 19, for a total of nine years, wooing voters with a promise of economic success only to be forced out as a debt crisis gripped his country.īut his influence extended well beyond politics, thanks to his extensive TV, newspaper and sporting interests, while his playboy antics kept him in the headlines even in his final years.īerlusconi is survived by his 33-year-old girlfriend, Marta Fascina, two ex-wives and five children, some of whom help run his empire, recently estimated to be worth around $7 billion.įuneral details have not been announced, but Berlusconi built a Pharaoh-inspired marble mausoleum at his villa in Arcore, near Milan, to house his family and friends when they die.Ĭharismatic, clownish and with a fine grasp of what his audiences wanted, Berlusconi used his media interests to project an image of a strong, self-made man that voters could emulate - a tactic later used by US president Donald Trump.īerlusconi "ignited and polarised the public debate perhaps like no other", former prime minister Giuseppe Conte said on Facebook. I'm broken and I rarely cry, today is one of those days," he said on social media.Įx-prime minister Matteo Renzi said that Berlusconi had "made history", even if he was controversial. "But above all today I lose a great friend. Matteo Salvini, head of another coalition party, the anti-immigration League, said the country had lost "a great Italian. ![]() ![]() He was a man who was not afraid to defend his convictions, and it was precisely that courage and determination which made him one of the most influential men in Italy's history," Meloni said in a video message posted on Twitter. Despite being re-elected to the Senate last year, he was rarely seen in public.īut he remained the official head of his right-wing Forza Italia party, a junior - and occasionally troublesome - partner in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition government. He died Monday, his spokesman told AFP, as his children rushed to the hospital to say their goodbyes.īerlusconi had suffered ill health for years, from heart surgery in 2016 to a 2020 hospitalisation for Covid-19. His admission came just three weeks after he was discharged following a six-week stay at Milan's San Raffaele hospital, during which time doctors revealed he had a rare type of blood cancer. The billionaire media mogul was admitted to a Milan hospital on Friday for what aides said were pre-planned tests related to leukaemia. ![]() ROME, Italy - Silvio Berlusconi, the former prime minister who reshaped Italy's political and cultural landscape while fending off multiple legal and sex scandals, died Monday aged 86.
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