Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has died at the age of 86 following a battle with leukemia, according to reports in Italy.

Brash, ebullient and a self-made billionaire, four-time PM Berlusconi was a media mogul and political showman whose financial and sexual scandals made him the most polarizing figure in modern Italy.

He died on Monday aged 86, with tributes pouring in from across the political and social spectrum for the maverick politician. 

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"Silvio Berlusconi was above all a fighter," said Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni. "He was a man who was never afraid to defend his beliefs and it was exactly that courage, that determination that made him one of the most influential men in the history of Italy." 

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini wrote that "today a GREAT ITALIAN bids farewell to us. One of the greatest ever, in all fields, from all points of view, without equals. But above all, today I lose a great friend. I am devastated and I rarely cry, today is one of those days."

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the former Italian leader "a dear person" and "a true friend," adding that he had always "sincerely admired his wisdom, his ability to make balanced, far-sighted decisions even in the most difficult situations."

Ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair chimed in, describing Berlusconi as "a larger than life figure" that had often courted controversy, but as a politician was "capable, shrewd and, most important, true to his word."

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and former Italian premier Mario Draghi offered their condolences to Berlusconi's family and supporters, while the Italian football club AC Milan, which the politician owned between 1986 and 2017, said it was "deeply saddened" by the loss.

Adriano Galliani, the team's former CEO while Berlusconi ran the club, said he was "distraught, speechless, with immense grief I mourn my friend, the master of everything, the person who changed my life for over 43 years. Rest in peace dear President."

With an unassailable self-confidence and a sharp entrepreneurial spirit, Berlusconi created a business empire that at its peak stretched from construction to television, publishing, retailing and top-flight football.

He used his wealth and media prowess to launch himself into politics in 1994, upending traditional parties in a way that another property mogul, Donald Trump, later did when he was elected U.S. president in 2016.

Berlusconi's many critics say he used his power primarily to protect his own business interests, pointing to Italy's weak economic record, hidebound bureaucracy and unchecked corruption during his lengthy stints in government.

He himself said he only entered politics to halt the left. "Politics was never my passion. It made me lose a lot of time and energy. If I entered the ring, it was just to prevent the communists from taking power," he told Chi magazine in an interview to mark his 80th birthday in 2016.

Voters repeatedly bought into his can-do exuberance and Berlusconi survived a string of diplomatic gaffes and scandals, including allegations he had sex with an underage girl and hosted wild orgies. But he was overwhelmed by the scale of Europe's financial crisis in 2011 and had to resign as prime minister.

Fresh humiliation followed in the shape of a 2013 conviction for tax fraud, a verdict which meant he was temporarily barred from parliament and stripped of his cherished title Il Cavaliere, or the Knight – a state decoration.

Under financial pressure, he sold his beloved AC Milan football club, whose success on the field had once mirrored his political triumphs, while his efforts to turn his media group into a pan-European broadcasting giant never really took off.

Defying the tide of time, Berlusconi campaigned ahead of a 2022 national election, but his famed sparkle had faded and his once predominant Forza Italia (Go Italy!) party, riven with divisions, took barely 8 percent of the vote – its lowest ever score.

However, it was enough to secure a return to government as a junior partner in a rightist coalition, with Berlusconi himself winning a Senate seat, ending his parliamentary exile.

As with his political party, so with his business empire, Berlusconi left no single heir apparent. Under Italian law, all five of his children will receive a share of his assets, while Forza Italia might struggle to survive without him at the helm.

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Cover image: Berlusconi built a business empire before entering politics and bounced back from financial and sex scandals to lead Italy four times. /Yara Nardi/Reuters