Mafia boss Salvatore 'Totò' Riina (87) died

parma - The notorious Sicilian Mafia boss Salvatore 'Totò' Riina, who stood at the top of the Cosa Nostra for years, died Friday in a prison in Parma. This is reported by various Italian media.

Riina was 87 years old on Thursday and was in a coma the last days. He died of the consequences of cancer.

The former head of the Cosa Nostra, as the Sicilian mafia is called, was the mastermind behind the attacks on the investigating judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borselino.

Because of that violence, the Italian people turned against the mafia. This led to harsh measures by the government against the Mafiosi. Riina was also behind a series of bombings in Rome, Milan and Florence in 1993, killing ten people.

Because of his violent nature he was called 'The Beast'. Riina was imprisoned since 1993. He was sentenced to life imprisonment up to 26 times, he would have ordered a total of about 150 murders.

His family was allowed to visit Riina in his cell for the last few days, to say goodbye.