One of Italy’s most notorious Mafia bosses has died.
Salvatore ‘Toto’ Riina, known as Mafia’s “boss of bosses,” passed away on Friday, just a day after his 87th birthday, the Associated Press reports. Following two surgeries in recent weeks, he had been in a medically induced coma in the prison wing of a hospital in Parma, located in northern Italy. His family was allowed to be at his bedside.
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Nicknamed “The Besat,” Riina was a farmer’s son from Corleone, where he began carving out his reputation for being ruthless. He began his rise to power in the 1970s and 1980s, pitting rival bosses against each other and violating Cosa Nostra’s rules of conduct, including sparing women and children from violence.
During his rule, he ordered the murders of more than 150 people, including the 13-year-old son of a police informer, whose body was dissolved in acid. He also masterminded a strategy to assassinate Italian prosecutors, police officials, and others who were after Cosa Nostra.
Riina was arrested on January 15, 1993. He was serving 26 life sentences at a jail in Parma at the time of his death.
A public funeral will not be allowed for Riina given that he was a “public sinner.” It is not yet known if his body will be transferred back to Corleone.
