Italian Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro dies aged 61 - who is his surviving daughter, Lorenza Alegra?

Notorious Italian Mafia boss, Matteo Messina Denaro - once one of Ital’s most wanted fugitives - has died aged 61 in hospital, Italy news sources have reported. Denaro was being treated for cancer at the time of his arrest and was moved from prison to hospital last month, after his capture earlier this year after 30 years on the run from authorities due to his alleged involvement in a number of murders.

According to local media, he fell into an irreversible coma on Friday at a hospital in the central Italian city of L'Aquila, after requesting that he be given no aggressive medical treatment.

Messina Denaro rose through the ranks of the Mafia and became a key figure within Cosa Nostra. He is believed to have assumed the position of capo di tutti i capi, which means "boss of all bosses," a title historically used within the Sicilian Mafia to denote its supreme leader. His criminal activities have included involvement in organized crime, extortion, drug trafficking, and murder.

He went into hiding in the early 1990s, and since then, he has managed to evade law enforcement agencies, despite their concerted efforts to apprehend him. His ability to maintain a low profile, adapt to changing circumstances, and utilize a network of loyal associates has allowed him to avoid arrest. He was only 

Italian authorities considered Messina Denaro one of the most dangerous and influential criminals in the country. More than 100 members of the armed forces were involved in his arrest in January, which happened at a private clinic in Sicily's capital, Palermo, where he was receiving chemotherapy.

His death has drawn renewed interest into his family, namely his daughter Lorenza Alagna, who historically has eschewed any relationship with her father, which was evidenced after notes were found in Denaro’s hideout with some reading "Why doesn't Lorenza want to see me? Why is she mad at me?”

Who is Lorenza Alagna?

Lorenza Alagna, the 27-year-old daughter of infamous Italian Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, has led a life marked by a complex mix of emotions and choices deeply influenced by her family's history. Born into the world of organized crime, Lorenza has lived a life that is both distant and connected to her notorious father.

Throughout her life, Lorenza made a conscious decision to keep her distance from her father, who has been a fugitive since the early 1990s. Even though he was a figurehead in the Sicilian Mafia and his criminal activities have earned him notoriety, Lorenza chose not to visit him in prison or establish a relationship with him. In one of the documents found in his hideout, Matteo Messina Denaro expressed his deep regret over his daughter's refusal to see him.

Lorenza, who carries her maternal surname, was last known to reside in Castelvetrano and, until about a decade ago, lived with her mother, Francesca Alagna, in her paternal grandmother's house. However, Lorenza and her mother eventually decided to sever their close ties with the Mafia world and relocate.

Despite her unique family background, Lorenza leads a life typical of young women her age. She graduated from a scientific high school and enrolled in university, pursuing her own dreams and aspirations. She became a mother herself, giving birth to a son on July 14, 2021. 

Significantly, she did not name her son Matteo, perhaps symbolizing her desire to distance herself from her father's criminal legacy.