12:51,

YEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has died aged 86.

He died at the San Raffaele hospital in Milan, according to Italian media.

In April, Berlusconi was treated for a lung infection linked to a previously undisclosed case of chronic leukaemia, according to the BBC.

A flamboyant billionaire media tycoon, Berlusconi first came to office in 1994 and led four governments until 2011.

Reacting to the news, Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said Berlusconi's death left a "huge void".

"An era is over… Farewell Silvio," Mr Crosetto wrote in a tweet, adding that he "loved" Berlusconi "very much".