Former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi Reportedly Diagnosed With Leukemia Amid Hospital Stay

Topline

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been diagnosed with leukemia, multiple outlets report, after the 86-year-old media billionaire was hospitalized in intensive care earlier this week after suffering shortness of breath.

Silvio Berlusconi attends the inauguration of the new headquarters of the Lombardy regional … [+] coordination of Forza Italia on November 19, 2022 in Milan, Italy.

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Key Facts

News of Berlusconi’s diagnosis was first reported by Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra and confirmed by outlets including Reuters and Sky News, citing anonymous sources.

Berlusconi spokesman Paolo Russo did not deny the report to CNN, saying he was “not authorized to give health info but the Corriere della Sera is the most authoritative Italian newspaper.”

Berlusconi was hospitalized in intensive care earlier this week, according to media reports on Wednesday, where he was said to be in stable condition in the cardiology department after suffering shortness of breath.

Italian foreign minister and deputy prime minister Antonio Tajani told state television RAI Thursday he had spoken with Berlusconi’s doctor and “he told me that Berlusconi spent a quiet night, his condition is stable,” as quoted by Reuters.

Berlusconi has suffered a series of health issues in recent years, including undergoing heart surgery in 2016 and being hospitalized with a serious case of Covid-19, for which he was also hospitalized again in April 2021 after suffering long-term effects from the virus.

Crucial Quote

“He’s a rock, so he is going to make it this time as well,” Berlusconi’s brother Paolo told reporters Wednesday upon leaving the hospital, as reported by Reuters.

Forbes Valuation

We estimate Berlusconi and his family’s net worth to be $7 billion as of Thursday morning, which is based on his media empire Finvest and stakes in media, publishing and banking firms. His fortune is shared among him and his five children.

Key Background

After founding his media group Finvest in the late 1970s, Berlusconi served multiple terms as Italy’s prime minister between 2004 and 2011 and heads the state’s Forza Italia party. His tenure in politics has been marred by numerous scandals, including his “bunga bunga” parties, allegations of tax fraud and solicitation of sex from a minor. His conviction for tax fraud also led to him being barred from holding public office in 2013, though that prohibition was ultimately lifted in 2018, and he was subsequently elected to the European Parliament in 2019 and Italy’s Parliament last year. Berlusconi has also more recently drawn controversy for speaking out in favor of Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the war with Ukraine, saying in February he believes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is responsible for the war and sparking pushback from Kyiv.