Italian mafia boss Messina Denaro, who was arrested by authorities in January after 30 years on the run, has died at the age of 61, Italian media outlet Agence France-Presse reported.

Messina Tenaro was suffering from cancer at the time of his arrest. After his condition worsened in recent weeks, he was transferred to a hospital from the high-security prison in central Italy where he was initially held.

According to France 24, Messina Tenaro helped launch acts of terrorism against the Italian state and was sentenced to six separate life sentences over the years, including the 1992 murder of anti-mafia judge Giovanni Falcone and his role in deadly bombings. Rome Florence and Milan in 1993.

Messina Tenaro, who led the Corleonesi clan immortalized in the Godfather films, died in prison in 2017.

Messina Tenaro was based in Trapani province in western Sicily, but by the time of his arrest on January 16, 2023, his influence had extended to the capital, Palermo.

Messina Tenaro had been on the run since 1993, and police finally arrested him when he visited a cancer treatment center in Palermo.