IRocco Benito Commisso, the Italian-American businessman who has been Fiorentina’s president since 2019 and the founder of Mediacom, died on Saturday at the age of 76 “after a long period of treatment.”
“The Commisso family, his wife Catherine, children Giuseppe and Marisa, and sisters Italia and Raffaelina, announce with great pain and sadness the passing of president Rocco B. Commisso. We miss you and will always miss you,” the club said in an official statement.
“After a long period of treatment, our beloved president leaves us and today we all mourn his death,” Fiore newspaper reported.
Born in Calabria, southern Italy, Commisso immigrated to the United States at the age of 12 and joined Fiore seven years ago in 2019. He is in charge of Italy’s flagship €100 million sports city project, which will be launched in 2023 and now bears his name.
“His name will forever remain at Fiorentina’s home, Rocco B. Commisso Viola Park, as an indelible token of love and a desire to project a future to our young players,” Fiore said.
During his tenure, Fiorentina reached the Conference League final twice (2023 and 2024), the semi-finals of the same competition once (2025) and the Copa Italia once (2023). After a memorable season, the team is now in the relegation zone.
In addition, Commisso was the founder (in 1995), Chairman and CEO of American telecommunications company Mediacom, and was named to the prestigious Forbes 400 list for his distinguished career in the cable television industry spanning nearly 50 years.
His professional career began at Pfizer, but he also worked at Chase Manhattan Bank (now JPMorgan Chase) and then Royal Bank of Canada.
In January 2017, Commisso acquired a majority stake in the New York Cosmos and remained an owner until July 2025, when the team was acquired by North Jersey Pro Soccer. The Commisso family still holds a minority stake in the club.
