Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, a prominent figure in the country’s political landscape, has passed away today at the age of 86 at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan. Survived by his children, a brother, 15 grandchildren, and a great-grandchild, Berlusconi leaves behind a legacy intertwined with family ties and business endeavors.
Born in Milan in 1936, Berlusconi grew up in a middle-class family. His father, Luigi Berlusconi, held a position in the banking sector, while his mother, Rosa Bossi, dedicated her time as a homemaker. As the eldest of three children, he had a sister named Maria Francesca Antonietta, who sadly passed away in 2009, and a younger brother named Paolo. Paolo, who has been involved in various business ventures, has held roles within Berlusconi’s media conglomerate.
Berlusconi often expressed a sense of patriarchal responsibility, recognizing his position within the family. Maria Elvira, widely known as Marina, is his eldest child from his first marriage to Carla Elvira Lucia Dall’Oglio. Marina, who is 57 years old, plays a significant role in her father’s companies, currently serving as the president of Fininvest. She married Maurizio Vanadia, a former dancer and deputy director of the dance school of the Accademia della Scala, in Arcore in December 2008. They have two children together named Gabriele and Silvio.
Pier Silvio, Berlusconi’s second child, is 54 years old and holds the position of managing director and executive vice-president of the Mediaset group. Over the years, gossip magazines have followed his relationship with Silvia Toffanin, a presenter at Mediaset, with whom he has two children.
Barbara Berlusconi, the eldest daughter from Silvio’s second marriage to Veronica Lario, is an Italian business executive. She has five children from two different relationships. Eleonora Berlusconi, less publicly known among the siblings, was born in 1986. Although she does not hold any board positions, she, like her sister Barbara and brother Luigi, owns a third of H14. Eleonora is a mother of three.
Luigi, the youngest son of Silvio, is the sole director of the B Cinque holding and serves as the chairman of the board of directors of H14, in which he also holds a third of the shares alongside his older sisters. A graduate of Bocconi University, Luigi has two sons named Emanuele Silvio and Tommaso Fabio, the latter being born just last year.
Silvio Berlusconi’s passing marks the end of an era for Italian politics, leaving behind a family legacy and a complex web of business interests.