BERLUSCONI DEAD

FORMER ITALIAN PM, KNOWN FOR BUNGA BUNGA SEX PARTIES, DIES AT 86

- Martin Bentham

THE billionaire former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, notorious for his womanising and corruption scandals, died today at the age of 86.

The four-times Italian leader, who made a dramatic comeback last September by winning election to the Italian senate and forming a coalition between his Forza Italia party and the country’s far-Right premier Giorgia Meloni, died at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan.

There was no immediate confirmation of the cause of death but Mr Berlusconi had been treated earlier this year and again recently for a lung infection linked to a previously undisclosed case of chronic leukaemia, a cancer which affects the white blood cells.

Mr Berlusconi was re-admitted on Friday for what was said to be a scheduled check-up but his condition deteriorated and he died this morning with his family at his side. His death brings an end to a remarkable and highly contentious political career which saw the former media tycoon survive a succession of scandals and court cases to dominate Italian politics for decades. He first became prime minister in 1991 and headed four governments until 2011 during a period in which he became friendly with Tony Blair, who had a holiday in 2004 with his wife Cherie at his villa in Sardinia, as well as George W Bush and other world leaders.

A one-time cruise ship crooner, Mr Berlusconi used his television networks and immense wealth to support his long political career, inspiring both loyalty and loathing.

To admirers, he was a capable and charismatic statesman who sought to elevate Italy on the world stage. To critics, he was a populist who threatened to undermine democracy by wielding political power as a tool to enrich himself and his businesses.