Meloni leads tributes to 'TV icon' Costanzo

(see related) (ANSA) - ROME, FEB 24 - Premier Giorgia Meloni on Friday led the tributes to Italian journalist, writer and pioneering TV talk show host Maurizio Costanzo, who has died at the age of 84.
    She described him as an "icon of journalism and of television, who was able to tell the story of difficult years with courage and professionalism.
    "Thank you for bringing culture, charm and kindness into the homes of the Italian people," she said in a Tweet. Ex-premier and 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Giuseppe Conte said via Twitter than Costanzo had "revolutionized communications and TV" and recalled that he "took on the mafia without fear, risking his own life.
    "A piece of the cultural history of our country has gone," he added.
    Another giant of Italian television, Mara Venier, told ANSA that Costanzo was one of the all-time greats of Italian journalism along with the late Enzo Biagi and Indro Montanelli.
    "I (also) want to say that I have lost a friend, a point of reference in my life," she continued.
    "He was a friend I continually confided in, one of the cornerstones of my life".
    Much-loved veteran pop star Gianni Morandi said Costanzo's death caused him "great pain.
    "I loved him," he added. (ANSA).