Former Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi who appeared to have the magic wand to bounce back from sex scandals and corruption allegations to relaunch his blistering political career has died, aged 86.
In April, Berlusconi was treated for a lung infection linked to chronic leukaemia.
A flamboyant billionaire media tycoon, Berlusconi first came to office in 1994 and led four governments until 2011.
He led the centre-right Forza Italia party which went into coalition under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni after elections in September, when he was elected to Italy’s upper house, the Senate.
He went on to become one of Italy’s richest men, building a business empire that included television networks, publishing companies and advertising agencies.
On top of that, he gained international recognition as owner of legendary football club AC Milan – which he saved from bankruptcy in 1986 – before going into politics in the 1990s.
Former AC Milan player and manager Carlo Ancelotti, who now manages the Real Madrid team, remembered Berlusconi as a “loyal, intelligent, sincere man”.
Mr Ancelotti, who twice won the Champions League with AC Milan under Berlusconi’s ownership, said the former PM had been a fundamental part of his journey “as a football player first, and then as a coach”.
Berlusconi was a polarising politician. He was praised by supporters for his business acumen and populist verve, but reviled by critics for his disregard for the rule of law.