Four-time Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi dies at 86
Silvio Berlusconi, the tycoon-turned-politician and four-time Italian prime minister, has died in Milan at the age of 86.
A seasoned politician and media tycoon, he was a divisive figure who dominated Italian politics for three decades.
Often compared with former US President Donald Trump, Berlusconi made his first fortune in real estate and construction, then slowly expanded, notably to the world of mass media.
Between the late 1970s and 1980s, he built a media empire. It included a publishing house and popular cable TV network, Mediaset, that was recognised as the biggest competitor to Italy’s state-owned television.
In 1986, he bought the popular AC Milan football team, saving it from certain bankruptcy.
It was not until 1994, however, that “the Knight” – Berlusconi’s popular nickname, entered the realm of Italian politics.
