Former Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi is dead. The 86-year-old media entrepreneur and leader of the ruling Forza Italia party died in Milan’s San Raffaele hospital.
Silvio Berlusconi is dead. The former Italian Prime Minister and media entrepreneur died at the age of 86, a spokesman confirmed when asked by the dpa news agency. Italian media had previously reported on Berlusconi’s death.
Born in Milan on September 29, 1936, Berlusconi started out as a businessman and since 1994 has been prime minister in a total of four governments in Italy. The chairman of the governing party Forza Italia had a say in the country’s fortunes for more than two decades and was controversial throughout his life, but was also admired by many.
“Father of all populists”
For the former Prime Minister Mario Monti, Berlusconi was the “father of all populists”; he once called himself “Jesus Christ of politics”. There have been repeated allegations of conflicts of interest between his office and the media empire MFE (formerly Mediaset), which he controls.
He also had to face numerous lawsuits. He was expelled from parliament in 2013 in connection with a tax evasion fine and was banned from holding public office in the following years. He complained against it before the European Court of Human Rights. Most recently he was a member of the Senate, the smaller of the two chambers of parliament in Rome.
In March 2015, he was finally acquitted in the “Bunga-Bunga” trial for sex with underage prostitutes and abuse of office. Follow-up proceedings for bribery of witnesses also ended in acquittal. However, the conflicts with the law did not dampen his popularity with many Italians.
Last many health problems
In the wake of the financial crisis, he finally had to resign as prime minister in 2011. Again and again he tried the political comeback for a top office. But the rushing return to the big stage did not succeed for the “Cavaliere” – even his last dream of becoming President burst in early 2022.
In terms of health, Berlusconi repeatedly had major health problems in his last years: in 2016 he had heart surgery, in 2020 he had to go to the hospital because of a corona infection and pneumonia. In 2022 he was also hospitalized for a urinary tract infection. In 1997 he underwent surgery for a prostate tumour. He had also had a pacemaker for several years. Recently it became known that he suffers from chronic leukemia. He was admitted to the San Raffaele hospital in Milan on Friday.
Berlusconi founded Forca Italia
His Forza Italia party, which he had made the largest party in the 1994 parliamentary elections, continued to shrink in the boot state. This was also due to the fact that Berlusconi hardly allowed any political heirs and Forza Italia was always associated with his name. After all, she made it back into government as a small partner of Giorgia Meloni in autumn 2022.
The twice-divorced politician leaves behind five children and many grandchildren. Most recently, he was with Forza Italia MP Marta Fascina, who was more than 50 years younger than Berlusconi.