Silvio Berlusconi passes away - Know more about former Italian president in 10 points
2 min read 12 Jun 2023, 03:54 PM ISTFormer Italian President Silvio Berlusconi passed away after suffering from leukaemia and a lung infection. The billionaire media mogul and controversial politician had served as prime minister for over nine years and led four different cabinets.
PremiumFormer Italian President Silvio Berlusconi passed away at the age of 86 on Monday afternoon. The billionaire media mogul had been suffering from leukaemia and recently developed a lung infection. The controversial politician had last held office between 2008 and 2011 and his Forza Italia party is currently part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing coalition.
Berlusconi had served more that nine years as prime minister and led four different cabinets - an unprecedented tenure in a country plagued by revolving-door governments. He also played kingmaker in bringing center-right coalitions to power, even when his party was no longer the dominant force. While he did not have a role in the current government, his death is likely to destabilise Italian politics in the coming months.
Here are 10 points about his life:
- Berlusconi began his career in the 1930s by selling vacuum cleaners and eventually built a reputation as a singer in nightclubs and cruise liners.
- He founded a construction company called Edilnord in 1961 after graduating with a law degree from the University of Milan. Berlusconi established himself as a residential housing developer around his native Milan and his circle of influence gradually expanded.
- In 1971 he launched a local cable-television company called Telemilano. It would go on to grow into Italy's biggest media empire - Mediaset. The politician also branched out into various fields through his holding company Fininvest - from Italy's largest publishing house, Mondadori to the newspaper Il Giornale.
- Berlusconi also owns football club AC Milan. He took over the debt-ridden Italian football club in the 1980s and his wealth propelled them during his trophy-filled 31-year reign.
- Berlusconi used his television networks and immense wealth to launch his long political career, inspiring both loyalty and loathing.
- He launched his own political party, Forza Italia - Go Italy - named after a chant used by AC Milan fans, in 1993.
- During his lengthy career Beslusconi faced 35 criminal court cases, but only clocked up one definitive conviction. He was at the centre of a series of investigations and trials, almost all of them opened after he entered politics in 1994.
- Over the years, Berlusconi also became known for a series of sexist, diplomatic and racist gaffes.
- His friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin put him at odds with Meloni, a staunch supporter of Ukraine. On his 86th birthday, while the war raged, Putin sent Berlusconi best wishes and vodka, and the Italian boasted he returned the favor by sending back Italian wine.
- Berlusconi shares two children with his first wife Carla Elvira Dall’Oglio. Following a divorce he married actress Veronica Lario with whom he had three children. However this marriage too ended in divorce. He later lived with his girlfriend Francesca Pascale, before starting a new relationship with Marta Fascina - a Forza Italia lawmaker who was more than 50 years his junior. In 2022, the pair exchanged rings and held a party in what Berlusconi described as a “symbolic" marriage.
(With inputs from agencies)