Silvio Berlusconi, who dominated Italian public life for decades as a billionaire media mogul, businessman and prime minister, has died aged 86.
The larger-than-life character, who once compared himself to Jesus, was Italy's longest serving premier but was also plagued by scandal.
Despite being diagnosed with leukaemia, he was active in politics to the end as a senator and partner in Prime Minister GiorgiaMeloni's rightwing government.
Berlusconi also wielded huge influence through his television and newspaper interests -- he effectively invented commercial TV in Italy -- his ownership of AC Milan football club, and his sheer wealth, as Italy's richest person for a decade.
Long before Donald Trump parlayed his business success into a White House bid, Berlusconi charmed millions of Italians by presenting himself as a self-made man who enjoyed life and spoke his mind, even to the extent of insulting fellow leaders.
To his critics, however, the right-winger was a tax-evading playboy who used his vast media empire to further his political career, and then exploited his power to protect his business interests.
He spent much of his life embroiled in legal action, and the cases around his notorious "BungaBunga" sex parties, attended by young girls including underage escorts, were only wrapped up in February 2023.
Despite remaining president of his Forza Italia party, a junior partner in Meloni's coalition, he had largely retired from public view in recent months.
He suffered increasing health problems -- although he maintained his pride in his appearance, always smartly dressed, his slicked-back hair never showing the slightest trace of grey.
Berlusconi was hospitalised for 11 days in September 2020 after contracting coronavirus, describing it as "perhaps the most difficult ordeal of my life".
In April 2023, doctors revealed he was in intensive care suffering from leukaemia and a lung infection.
