REAL LIFE

End of an era: Italy says goodbye to Silvio Berlusconi

Silvio Berlusconi, Italian politician and businessman born in Milan on 29 September 1936, has died at the age of 86. The leader of Forza Italia had been admitted to the San Raffaele hospital on 5 April due to 'respiratory problems caused by pneumonia resulting from leukaemia' and had been hospitalised again in recent days.

Four times Italian Prime Minister, Berlusconi received the title of Cavaliere dell'ordine al merito del lavoro (Knight of the Order of Labour Merit) in 1977. After starting out as an entrepreneur in the construction industry, he founded Fininvest in 1975 and the multimedia production company Mediaset in 1993. In October 1993 he entered politics with the foundation of Forza Italia.

According to Forbes, Berlusconi boasted a personal fortune estimated at around $7.3 billion and ranked as the sixth richest man in Italy in 2021.

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Farewell to Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi, Italian politician and businessman born in Milan on 29 September 1936, has died at the age of 86. The leader of Forza Italia had been admitted to the San Raffaele hospital on 5 April due to 'respiratory problems caused by pneumonia resulting from leukaemia' and had been hospitalised again in recent days. Four times Italian Prime Minister, Berlusconi received the title of Cavaliere dell'ordine al merito del lavoro (Knight of the Order of Labour Merit) in 1977.
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President of AC Milan and then Monza
On 20 February 1986 Silvio Berlusconi became the owner of AC Milan, a football club of which he was then president from 24 March 1986 to 13 April 2017. On 28 September 2018, through Fininvest, he became the owner of Monza, which was promoted to Serie A in 2020.
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Beginnings as an entrepreneur and arrival in politics
After starting out as an entrepreneur in the construction industry, he founded Fininvest in 1975 and the multimedia production company Mediaset in 1993. In October 1993 he entered politics, with the foundation of Forza Italia.
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The final conviction and then the return to politics
In the course of his life, Silvio Berlusconi has been a defendant in more than twenty judicial proceedings. In 2013, after being definitively sentenced to four years' imprisonment for tax fraud, he was banned from public office and disqualified from being a Senator of the Republic. Berlusconi became eligible again in 2018 and was elected as an MEP in 2019.
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Berlusconi's heritage
According to 'Forbes', Berlusconi boasted a personal fortune estimated at around USD 7.3 billion and ranked as the sixth richest man in Italy in 2021.
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The wives, children, and final companions
Silvio Berlusconi has had five children. His children Marina and Pier Silvio were born from his marriage to Carla Elvira Lucia Dall'Oglio while his children Barbara, Eleonora and Luigi were born from his marriage to Veronica Lario (pictured). The marriage to Veronica Lario ended in 2009. Berlusconi then had a relationship with Francesca Pascale while his last partner was Marta Fascina.
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