He bought the club in 2019
Florence mourns the late club boss
01/17/2026 – 2:28 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Fiorentina mourns the loss of its president. Rocco Commisso died after a long illness at the age of 76.
Fiorentina confirmed the death of club president Rocco Commisso on Saturday night. The US company Mediacom, which was once founded by Commisso, also reported Commisso’s death.
“After a long period of medical treatment, our beloved president has left us and today we all mourn his passing,” the club said. For his family, Commisso was a “role model and guide” – a “loyal and faithful person” who was married to his wife Catherine for 50 years and was a “strict but at the same time loving father” to his children. His nature was “gentle and determined”.
The club also highlighted his ties to Fiorentina. Love for the team was the “greatest gift” Commisso gave himself. “He spent unforgettable days with the boys and girls of the youth teams and always had an attentive gesture and a smile for everyone.” He worked tirelessly until the end and dedicated himself to both Mediacom and Fiorentina – and their future.
Commisso was born in Calabria. At the age of twelve he emigrated to the USA – and there became a self-made billionaire. In 1995 he founded the company Mediacom, which he built out of the basement of his house. Today it is one of the largest cable providers in the USA.
He also always remained connected to football. Commisso was a former college player himself and took over the New York Cosmos club in 2017. Two years later he bought Fiorentina for around $200 million. He had the modern training center “Viola Park” built in Italy.
As the club announced, the training center will permanently bear his name in the future. “We miss you and will always miss you,” it concludes. Commisso is survived by his wife Catherine and two children.
