Silvio Berlusconi, the 3-time Italian leader infamous for ‘bunga bunga’ sex parties, dead at 86

Loading Something is loading.

Thanks for signing up!

Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. download the app

Silvio Berlusconi, the long-serving former prime minister of Italy whose name became synonymous with scandal, is dead at age 86, reports said Monday.

Italy’s respected Correra della Sera newspaper reported his death on Monday morning. Many other outlets soon followed.

Berlusconi’s Mediaset television network announced his death with a smiling photo of the man on its homepage and the headline: “Berlusconi is dead.”

The exact circumstances of his death were not immediately clear. The Associated Press reported that Berlusconi had been admitted to the hospital on Friday for checks related to chronic leukemia.

He had only recently been discharged from a 45-day stay over his leukemia as well as a serious lung infection.

A onetime cruise ship crooner, Berlusconi used his television networks and immense wealth to launch his political career, inspiring both loyalty and loathing.

For many years he was Italy’s richest man, with his sprawling media empire and luxury real estate making him a billionaire several times over.

He was also a dominant figure in Italian politics, serving three terms as its national leader.

But Berlusconi was also dogged by scandal around his personal life, particularly around what became widely known as “bunga bunga” sex parties, which ended up with him being taken to court.

He was still being tried over the parties as recently as February 2023, when he was acquitted of witness tampering. A 2013 trial saw him convicted of soliciting a prostitute, but that was overturned on appeal a year later.

Per an AP report on the February acquittal:

“Berlusconi’s defense described the dinner parties, dating from 2010, as elegant soirees; prosecutors said they were sex-fueled gatherings that women were paid to attend and where witnesses described showgirls stripping provocatively for the then-Italian leader.”

Despite all of the scandals, Berlusconi only had one conviction that stuck — in a tax-fraud case stemming from a sale of movie rights in his business empire.

Berlusconi’s impact on Italian politics was far-reaching. As a businessman who knew the power of images, Berlusconi introduced US-style political campaigns — with big party conventions and slick advertising — that broke with the gray world of Italian politics, in which voters essentially chose parties and not candidates.

Another former Italian prime minister, Matteo Renzi, recalled Berlusconi’s divisive legacy in a message on Twitter. “Silvio Berlusconi made history in this country. Many loved him, many hated him. All must recognize that his impact on political life, but also economic, sport and television, has been without precedence.”