NPR

Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's former prime minister, has died at the age of 86

The media mogul turned prime minister left a mark on popular culture, while his coarseness and constant legal woes trashed political norms and tainted Italy's image in the world.
Candidate for Prime Minster Silvio Berlusconi during a party of Forza Italia held after his TV debate in 1994, in Rome.

ROME — Former Italian prime minister, and sitting senator in the Italian parliament, Silvio Berlusconi died at the age of 86, according to reports from Italian media on Monday.

No cause of death was immediately available. He was hospitalized last week for planned medical checks related to his chronic leukemia.

The media mogul served as Italy's prime minister multiple times beginning in 1994, and his flamboyant lifestyle left a mark on popular culture, while his abrasiveness, coarseness, populist style, and

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