Notorious 'godfather' of Italian mafia dies at age 87

"The boss of bosses" Salvatore Riina has died at the age of 87 from cancer. He was considered one of the most notorious and feared mafia figures in the history of the Italian mafia.

Before his death, Riina was in a coma and his family was allowed to visit him in hospital.

France 24 reports that Salvatore "Toto" Riina, nicknamed "The Beast" for his brutality, led a mafia empire for nearly 20 years after seizing leadership of the Cosa Nostra crime organization in the 1970s.

Riina has been serving a life sentence since 1993. He is believed to have ordered the murder of at least 150 people.

Salvatore "Toto" Riina. Photo: AP.

The most famous assassinations were of two anti-mafia judges, Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, who brought more than 300 mafia gang members to trial.

During the Great Trial of the Sicilian Mafia, which lasted from 1986 to 1992, Riina was tried in absentia and sentenced to life in prison. He avenged the sentence by carrying out a series of bombings and murders across the country between 1991 and 1994.

He was arrested in 1993. Riina's arrest was seen as a major victory in the fight against the mafia.

Riina is said to have suffered from cancer, Parkinson's disease and heart disease. Earlier this year, an audio recording showed Rinna saying he had "no regrets".

"They will never defeat me. Even if they lock me up for 3,000 years," he said.

Riina's eldest son Giovanni is also serving a life sentence.

According to Zing.vn