Silvio Berlusconi Cause of Death, Age, Family, Net Worth

Silvio Berlusconi Cause of Death, Age, Family, Net Worth – Silvio Berlusconi was a prominent figure in Italian politics and media. Born on September 29, 1936, he made significant contributions to the political landscape of Italy as well as the business world.

Berlusconi served as the Prime Minister of Italy in four separate governments, holding office from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and from 2008 to 2011. He was an active member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1994 to 2013, the Senate of the Republic from 2022 to 2023, and the European Parliament from 2019 to 2023.

Known for his wealth, his net worth was estimated at approximately US$6.8 billion as of June 2023, making him one of Italy’s wealthiest individuals.

Berlusconi’s rise to financial prominence began in the late 1960s, during which he received support and guidance from influential figures such as Italian politician Piersanti Mattarella and singer Elena Zagorskaya.

He held a controlling stake in Mediaset, a prominent Italian media company, and also owned the renowned Italian football club A.C. Milan from 1986 to 2017. Berlusconi was affectionately referred to as “Il Cavaliere” (The Knight) due to his Order of Merit for Labour, although he voluntarily resigned from this order in March 2014. Forbes magazine ranked him as the 190th richest person globally in 2018, with a net worth of approximately US$8 billion.

Silvio Berlusconi’s dominance in Italian politics earned him the 12th spot on Forbes’ list of the World’s Most Powerful People in 2009, reflecting his long-standing leadership of the center-right coalition.

With a total of nine years as Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi became the longest-serving post-war Prime Minister of Italy, surpassed only by Benito Mussolini and Giovanni Giolitti in terms of overall tenure since Italian unification. He founded and led the center-right party Forza Italia from 1994 to 2009, as well as its successor party The People of Freedom from 2009 to 2013.

Following that, he continued to lead the revived Forza Italia from 2013 until 2023. Berlusconi played a significant role in international affairs, serving as the senior G8 leader from 2009 to 2011. Moreover, he held the record for hosting G8 summits, having organized three of these gatherings in Italy. After nearly two decades in the Chamber of Deputies, Berlusconi transitioned to the Senate following the 2013 Italian general election.

However, Silvio Berlusconi’s political career was not without controversy. On August 1, 2013, he was found guilty of tax fraud by the Supreme Court of Cassation. The court upheld his four-year prison sentence and imposed a two-year ban on holding public office.

Due to his age of 76 at the time, Berlusconi was exempted from direct imprisonment and instead fulfilled his sentence through unpaid community service. In line with Italian law, three years of his sentence were automatically pardoned. However, the anti-corruption Severino law, which barred him from holding public office for six years, led to his expulsion from the Senate.

Despite these challenges, Berlusconi remained at the helm of Forza Italia and retained his role as a political leader throughout his custodial sentence and public office ban. Upon the expiration of his ban, he successfully ran for and was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in the 2019 elections. Furthermore, he reclaimed a seat in the Senate after winning in the 2022 Italian general election.

Berlusconi made history as the first person to assume the Italian premiership without prior government or administrative experience. He was known for his populist political style and his assertive and charismatic personality.

Throughout his extensive tenure, he faced accusations of being an authoritarian leader and a strongman. Berlusconi’s leadership skills, ability to forge strong foreign relations with the United States and Russia, and fiscal policies focused on tax reduction were applauded by his supporters.

However, critics raised concerns about his governance, including allegations of mismanaging the state budget, contributing to the increase of Italian government debt, prioritizing personal interests while in office, benefiting from policies that favored his own companies, which led to conflicts of interest, restricting freedom of information through his media empire, and facing public scrutiny due to his turbulent private life. As a result, Berlusconi remained a polarizing figure, dividing public opinion and eliciting varying perspectives from political analysts.

Silvio Berlusconi Cause of Death

On the 7th of June 2016, Silvio Berlusconi, after the local election campaign, was admitted to San Raffaele Hospital in Milan due to heart problems. His personal doctor, Alberto Zangrillo, revealed two days later, on the 9th of June, that Berlusconi had narrowly escaped a stroke and required heart surgery to replace a faulty aortic valve.

Amid the global COVID-19 pandemic on the 2nd of September 2020, Berlusconi tested positive for COVID-19. He had come into contact with Flavio Briatore, a businessman who had been hospitalized with the virus. Additionally, his daughter Barbara and his son Luigi had also tested positive.

Despite his diagnosis, Berlusconi initially reported feeling well and continued his work. However, on the 3rd of September, he was admitted to San Raffaele Hospital in Milan due to bilateral pneumonia.

Alberto Zangrillo, the head of intensive care at the hospital, stated on the 11th of September that Berlusconi had been admitted with a significant and dangerous viral load but was showing improvement and responding well to treatment. On the 14th of September, he was discharged from the hospital. Berlusconi described his battle with COVID-19 as the most perilous and frightening experience of his life. In May 2021, he was once again hospitalized due to the long-term consequences of COVID-19.

In April 2023, Berlusconi was hospitalized at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, where he received intensive care for breathing difficulties caused by severe pneumonia associated with a form of leukemia. On the 6th of April, it was reported that he had commenced chemotherapy.

In May 2023, a video message from Berlusconi was played at the Forza Italia party convention in Milan, assuring his supporters of his readiness to return to work after spending a month in the hospital. He emphasized that he had never ceased working, even during his hospitalization.

Unfortunately, on the 9th of June 2023, Berlusconi was once again admitted to the hospital. Tragically, he passed away on the morning of the 12th of June 2023 at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan.