Rocco Commisso, the owner of Italian soccer club Fiorentina and chairman of New York-based Mediacom Communications, has died at 76.
His club and cable television company, the fifth largest in the United States, announced his death early Saturday, January 17, saying that their “beloved president” had left them after a prolonged illness.
Fiorentina stated, “After a prolonged period of medical treatment, our beloved president has left us, and today we all mourn his passing. For his family, he was an example and a guiding light, a loyal and faithful man who, alongside his wife Catherine, reached the milestone of 50 years of marriage.”
The Tuscans called him gentle and determined while revealing that he was a strict yet loving father to his children.
“His love for Fiorentina was the greatest gift he gave himself, spending unforgettable days with the boys and girls of the youth teams, always offering a caring gesture and a smile to everyone. Tireless, he worked until his final days, dedicating himself to his companies, Mediacom and Fiorentina, and to their future,” it added.
The details of his illness or treatment are not yet revealed by his family or the club.
Commisso acquired Fiorentina from the Della Valle family in 2019 for an estimated $150-170 million. He also held a majority stake in Major League Soccer (MLS) team New York Cosmos.
As per Forbes, his personal wealth in October 2023 was estimated at around 8 billion dollars.
