Ex-AC Milan owner and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi dies aged 86
Silvio Berlusconi, the resilient former AC Milan owner and Italian Prime Minister, has passed away at the age of 86. He drew his last breath in Milan's San Raffaele hospital, as reported by Italian press outlets (via BBC).
This past April, the iconic figure was battling a lung infection related to a long-standing fight with chronic leukemia. In the grand arena of Italian politics, Berlusconi was a high scorer, a colorful billionaire media mogul, who took his initial bow on the political stage in 1994.
He was the maestro at the helm of four governments until 2011. He was also the driving force behind the centre-right Forza Italia party, which formed a coalition under the stewardship of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni following the elections last September. It was at that time that Berlusconi was elected to grace Italy's upper house, the Senate.
This significant loss has shocked Italy's political landscape, according to the BBC. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini expressed his devastation, admitting that he was "broken" and thanked Berlusconi for his "friendship," "advice," and "generosity." In the wake of this news, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto poignantly remarked: "An era is over... Farewell Silvio."
Berlusconi had been grappling with a formidable adversary, a rare type of blood cancer known as chronic myelomonocyte leukemia. This was a diagnosis disclosed by doctors at San Raffaele in April. So far, the authorities remain tight-lipped about the exact cause of death.
However, it is no secret that Silvio Berlusconi had been in the crosshairs of recurring health problems since contracting Covid-19 during the pandemic.
A controversial legacy: The life of Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's polarising billionaire
Berlusconi started life as a vacuum cleaner salesman, a humble start that belied the towering figure he would become. He soon traded in the vacuum cleaners for blueprints, setting up his own construction company, a stepping stone to what would be one of Italy's largest business empires.
The goalposts shifted, and Berlusconi found himself not just as a successful businessman, but as one of Italy's wealthiest. Berlusconi's rise to wealth and influence was meteoric. He owned a vast empire that consisted of television networks, publishing companies, and advertising agencies. Internationally, he gained fame as the owner of the renowned football club, AC Milan.
In the field of politics, Silvio Berlusconi was a player who split the crowd. He earned cheers from supporters who applauded his business savvy and populist appeal. Yet, he also faced the jeers of critics who took issue with his casual disregard for the rule of law, as well as his convictions.
Despite the controversy that swirled around him, Silvio Berlusconi remained a key player in the high-stakes game of Italian politics. According to the BBC, his legacy, though, is much like a game in extra time - up for debate. Some cheer him on as a defender of "free enterprise" and "Italian values", while others see him as a "symbol of corruption and moral decay."