Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's Scandalous Ex-Prime Minister, Dead At 86

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who served the nation in four different governments, has died at San Raffaele Hospital, Milan. He was 86. While the cause of death is yet to be announced, NPR reports that Berlusconi's demise comes just a week after his hospitalization for chronic leukemia — a diagnosis that gained public attention in April. According to CNN, Berlusconi's hospitalization was initially planned as a medical check-up, during which he was scheduled to undergo further examinations.

Back in April, Berlusconi was admitted to the hospital's intensive unit, where he was treated for pneumonia caused by leukemia. "President Silvio Berlusconi is currently hospitalized in intensive care for the treatment of a lung infection," the hospital said in a statement obtained by CNN. However, the hospital also disclosed that the politician's leukemia was classified as non-acute, and it was determined that he had been living with the disease for a long time before its detection.

Throughout his years-long political career, Silvio Berlusconi was caught up in many scandals — particularly ones with legal repercussions. In June 2013, the astute politician was sentenced to seven years in prison after he was found guilty of engaging in sexual activity with a minor. Though the sentence was eventually appealed, that was only one of the legal troubles that marred Berlusconi's reputation. According to Reuters, the late politician faced a total of 35 criminal cases in his lifetime. Berlusconi's scandals extended beyond the law, as he was widely unpopular among the public.

In 2022, Berlusconi raised eyebrows after boasting of his friendship with Vladimir Putin amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In a leaked audio, Berlusconi was heard opening up about his friendship with the Russian president, whom he claimed to have sent him a note and twenty bottles of vodka as a birthday gift. "I responded with bottles of Lambrusco and an equally sweet note," Berlusconi added, per BBC.

The late media mogul was also branded homophobic after implying that he would rather be involved with young women than be gay. "As always, I work without interruption and if occasionally I happen to look a beautiful girl in the face, it's better to like beautiful girls than to be gay," he said at the time, as reported by Reuters.