Media has reported that former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi died on Monday at the age of 86.
The politician led three Italian governments between 1994 and 2011, making comebacks despite a career tainted by allegations of corruption and sex scandals.
This comes after the former leader spent six weeks at Milan’s San Raffaele’s hospital this spring due to a lung infection linked to a chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia.
The media tycoon began his business career in property development before founding Mediaset, Italy’s largest commercial broadcaster.
He also owned AC Milan football club between1 986 and 2017. Berlusconi was the first prime minister to be elected without previously having held a government office.
His second term in office is the longest served by any Italian leader since the Second World War (2001-2006). He was elected once again in 2008 but was forced to resign in 2011.
In 2019, he went on to win a seat in the European Parliament, with his party returning to power in October 2022 in a coalition led by Giorgia Meloni.
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