This file photo shows former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi (front) attending a press conference at the Quirinale Palace in Rome, capital of Italy, on April 12, 2018. Berlusconi died Monday at the age of 86 at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan, the press office of his political party Forza Italia confirmed. (Xinhua/Jin Yu)
ROME, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi died Monday at the age of 86 at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan, the press office of his political party Forza Italia confirmed.
He was admitted to hospital on Friday for scheduled health check-ups related to his chronic leukemia, according to the hospital.
His death was immediate front-page news in Italy and beyond. An official with Forza Italia confirmed the news when contacted by Xinhua, though the official did not provide additional details.
Berlusconi suffered from a serious case of COVID-19 in 2020, and had also overcome a heart surgery and prostate cancer.
The billionaire media tycoon was a dominant figure in Italian politics for three decades. Berlusconi headed four separate Italian governments as prime minister between 1994 and 2011.
Forza Italia, the political party he founded, is a junior partner in the current Italian government headed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. ■
This file photo shows former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi casting his ballot at a polling station in Milan, Italy, Sept. 25, 2022. Berlusconi died Monday at the age of 86 at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan, the press office of his political party Forza Italia confirmed. (Xinhua)