Silvio Berlusconi, Former Prime Minister of Italy, Passes Away at 86

Silvio Berlusconi, the former Prime Minister of Italy and controversial billionaire businessman, passed away on Monday at the age of 86 in a hospital in Milan. Four of his five children and his brother were by his side at the time of his death. Mr. Berlusconi, who had the longest tenure as Prime Minister in his country's history, had Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, among his circle of friends and gained notoriety for hosting sex parties. He was suffering from leukemia and had recently contracted a lung infection. Mr. Berlusconi's political party, known as 'Forza Italia' or Italy's Strength, is currently part of a right-wing coalition led by Giorgia Meloni, the current Prime Minister. In addition to his political activities, Mr. Berlusconi owned a media empire in Italy. He entered the political scene in 1994 after establishing a massive television company in the 1980s, and despite numerous legal scandals, he served as Prime Minister in four different terms. His last term in office was from 2008 to 2011 during the country's debt crisis. Mr. Berlusconi was acquitted of all charges related to sex parties but was convicted of tax fraud in 2013. He resisted transferring control of his political party to others and secured a seat in the European Parliament in 2019, and last year he also obtained a seat in the Italian Senate.