The billionaire businessman transformed Italy\u2019s political landscape, often while fending off legal and sex scandals.<\/p>\n
The billionaire businessman created Italy\u2019s largest media company before transforming the political landscape \u2013 while fending off multiple legal and sex scandals.<\/p>\n
He had suffered several bouts of ill health in recent months.<\/p>\n
He was hospitalised in 2020 after contracting COVID-19, describing it as \u201cperhaps the most difficult ordeal of my life\u201d.<\/p>\n
In April 2023, doctors revealed he was in intensive care suffering from leukaemia and a lung infection.<\/p>\n
He was admitted to a Milan hospital on Friday for what aides said were pre-planned tests related to his leukemia.<\/p>\n
Berlusconi\u2019s death leaves a \u201chuge void\u201d because he was a great man, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said on Twitter on Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved him very much. Farewell Silvio,\u201d Crosetto wrote.<\/p>\n
Berlusconi\u2019s Forza Italia political party was a coalition partner with current Premier Giorgia Meloni, a far-right leader who came to power last year, although he held no position in the government.<\/p>\n
Alan Friedman, who authored a biography of Berlusconi titled My Way, told Al Jazeera that the late premier was a \u201cvery historic figure in post-war Italian history\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBerlusconi was a controversial figure,\u201d he said. \u201cHe was in many ways the original populist in Italy, back in the nineties. Although he was controversial, he was also very much loved by his followers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Al Jazeera\u2019s Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from Sardinia, said Berlusconi had a \u201cquiet night\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut then this morning, things moved very quickly. His close relatives, his brother, were all called in. And then shortly after, the hospital issued a statement that Berlusconi had died after battling this form of leukemia that had seen him spend about six weeks in hospital, earlier this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was considered a kingmaker in politics. His party, the right coalition, is still in power under the leadership of Meloni. He is someone who has had a huge impact on Italian politics. He was the longest serving prime minister. But he also had an impact on Italians on a daily basis, because he also transformed television with his group, Media set. Rightly or wrongly, he impacted the Italian media and way of life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Years of scandals<\/strong><\/p>\n As Berlusconi aged, some derided his perpetual tan, hair transplants and live-in girlfriends who were decades younger. For many years, however, Berlusconi seemed untouchable despite the personal scandals.<\/p>\n Criminal cases were launched but ended in dismissals when statutes of limitations ran out in Italy\u2019s slow-moving justice system, or he was victorious on appeal.<\/p>\n Investigations targeted the tycoon\u2019s steamy so-called \u201cbunga bunga\u201d parties involving young women and children, or his businesses, which included the soccer team AC Milan, the country\u2019s three biggest private TV networks, magazines and a daily newspaper, and advertising and film companies.<\/p>\n Only one led to a conviction \u2013 a tax fraud case stemming from a sale of movie rights in his business empire. The conviction was upheld in 2013 by Italy\u2019s top criminal court, but he was spared prison because of his age, 76, and was ordered to do community service by assisting Alzheimer\u2019s patients.<\/p>\n He still was stripped of his Senate seat and banned from running or holding public office for six years, under anti-corruption laws.<\/p>\n He stayed at the helm of Forza Italia, the center-right party he created when he entered politics in the 1990s and named for a soccer cheer, \u201cLet\u2019s go, Italy.\u201d With no groomed successor in sight, voters started to desert it.<\/p>\n He eventually held office again \u2013 elected to the European Parliament at age 82 and then last year to the Italian Senate.<\/p>\n Berlusconi\u2019s party was eclipsed as the dominant force on Italy\u2019s political right: first by the League, led by anti-migrant populist Matteo Salvini, then by Meloni\u2019s Brothers of Italy party, with its roots in neo-fascism. Following elections in 2022, Meloni formed a governing coalition with their help.<\/p>\n He suffered personal humiliations as well.<\/p>\n Berlusconi lost his standing as Italy\u2019s richest man, although his sprawling media holdings and luxury real estate still left him a billionaire several times over.<\/p>\n -ALJAZEERA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The billionaire businessman transformed Italy\u2019s political landscape, often while fending off legal and sex scandals. The billionaire businessman created Italy\u2019s largest media company before transforming the political landscape \u2013 while fending off multiple legal and sex scandals. He had suffered several bouts of ill health in recent months. He was hospitalised in 2020 after contracting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":131376,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-131374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n