Former Italian Prime Minister and flamboyant self-made billionaire Silvio Berlusconi had died at 86 just days after being admitted to hospital with breathing problems, his press office reported on Monday.
Berlusconi, one of Italian politics’ most controversial and polarizing personalities, battled a history of health ailments and was recently diagnosed with leukemia, according to his personal physician. Born on September 29, 1936, Berlusconi, who was affectionately christened “The Knight,” by his proponents, had a stranglehold on Italian politics for decades and served as prime minister on three different occasions in the span of nine years.
He forayed into the world of football and took over Italian giants AC Milan in 1986 as the club stood on the precipice of bankruptcy, remaining at the helm of the “Rossoneri” until 2017 in a period which saw club clinch some 29 trophies.
His “Forza Italia” party paid tribute to their leader by hailing him as a “fighter” who never failed to stand up for his beliefs, describing him as one of the most influential men in the history of Italy.
Source: Kuwait News Agency