Italian Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro has died at the age of 61 after falling into an irreversible coma at a hospital in L’Aquila, BBC reports.
Considered one of Cosa Nostra organized crime syndicates’ most powerful figures, he spent 30 years on the run before being captured in January.
Denaro was being treated for cancer at the time of his arrest and has undergone cancer surgery in recent months.
Denaro was sentenced to life in prison in absentia in 2002 for various crimes including the 1992 killings of anti-Mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.
He was also known for overseeing various criminal activities, including racketeering, illegal waste dumping, money laundering, and drug trafficking.
