Italian Mafia Boss Matteo Messina Denaro, Last of the Major Mafia Bosses, Dies After 30 Years on the Run

Italian Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, who had been on the run for 30 years before being arrested in January, has died, according to ANSA news agency. The L’Aquila prosecutors office confirmed the death, though the time of death was not cited.

Rai state radio reported that Messina Denaro died at around 2 a.m. in the hospital prison ward where he had been transferred to in recent weeks due to his deteriorating condition. He had requested no aggressive medical treatment, and medics had stopped feeding him after he was declared to be in an irreversible coma.

Messina Denaro was convicted of numerous crimes, including for his role in planning the 1992 murders of anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. This crime shocked Italy and sparked a crackdown on the Sicilian mob.

Messina Denaro’s death brings to a close the era of the Cosa Nostra crime syndicate depicted in “The Godfather” movies. He was the last of the major Mafia bosses to be captured, and his death marks the end of an era of organized crime in Italy.

The Italian government has made significant progress in combating organized crime in recent years, and the death of Messina Denaro is seen as a major victory in the fight against the Mafia.