Former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi dies aged 86
Berlusconi was admitted to San Raffaele Hospital with heart problems and shortness of breath.
KATHMANDU: Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian Prime Minister who overcame sex scandals and corruption claims, has died at the age of 86 at Milan’s San Raffaele hospital
Berlusconi was rushed to hospital in Milan on June 9. Berlusconi was admitted to San Raffaele Hospital with heart problems and shortness of breath.
Berlusconi was treated in April for a lung infection linked to a previously unreported diagnosis of persistent leukemia.
Berlusconi, a flamboyant billionaire media entrepreneur, took power in 1994 and governed four governments until 2011.
He led the center-right Forza Italia party, which formed a coalition with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni following elections in September, when he was elected to Italy’s upper body, the Senate.
In response to the news, Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said Berlusconi’s death left a “huge void.”
“An era is over… Farewell Silvio,” Mr Crosetto wrote in a tweet, adding that he “loved” Berlusconi “very much”.
