Il Cavaliere is gone... Silvio Berlusconi, former Italian Prime Minister, senator and businessman, died on Monday June 12, 2023 at the age of 86. Stricken with leukemia, the politician had been in and out of Milan'sSan Raffaele hospital in recent weeks. His death was announced with great fanfare by the Italian media on Monday morning.
Born in Milan during the Fascist era in Italy, Berlusconi began his career in real estate in the 1960s, before diversifying by founding companies in various sectors, including media (including Mediaset, which owns Italy's main TV channels), construction, finance and insurance. This business success earned him a knighthood in the Order of Merit of Labor in 1977, and earned him the nickname"il Cavaliere".
Entering politics in the mid-1990s, Silvio Berlusconi founded the Forza Italia party and was elected President of the Council three times, in 1994, 2001 and 2008. During his terms, he committed himself to modernizing the Italian economy and fighting corruption and organized crime. However, his political career was marked by numerous scandals, including accusations of corruption, tax fraud, witness tampering and paid sexual relations with underage girls. These affairs tarnished Berlusconi 's reputation and provoked massive public outcry.
The politician managed to avoid prison thanks to laws he himself pushed through, until his final conviction for tax fraud in 2013, which cost him his title of Cavaliere. Despite a less prominent presence on the political-media scene in recent years, Berlusconi continued to influence Italian politics by supporting the candidacy of Giorgia Meloni, president of the Fratelli d'Italia party, for the presidency of the Council of Ministers. However, health problems forced him to reduce his political involvement, notably after contracting Covid-19 in 2020.
His death marks the end of an era in Italy, that of a man who, despite controversy, left an indelible mark on Italian politics and the economy.
