Body of Italian TV quizmaster snatched from grave

[Joanne98]

Source: Reuters

ROME (Reuters) - The body of Mike Bongiorno, who was Italy's top quiz show host for more than 50 years and a close friend of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, was stolen from his grave, officials said on Tuesday.

Bongiorno, who died in Sept 2009 at the age of 85, was buried in Arona near Milan. A pensioner who regularly visits the cemetery alerted police that the grave had been violated and emptied. Italian media said no ransom had been demanded so far.

Bongiorno, a fixture in Italian television since its first broadcast in the 1950s, helped Berlusconi launch commercial television in the 1970s.

It is not the first time that the body of a famous personality has been snatched in Italy.

In 2001, in a cemetery near the one where Bongiorno was buried, the corpse of an investment banker Enrico Cuccia was stolen and a ransom demanded. The thieves were identified and arrested.



Read more: http://af.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idAFTRE70O5P720110125

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LOL I never heard of kidnapping dead bodies before!

[hughee99]

1. I bet the ransom demand with start with "Allegria!"

Which I believe was Bongiorno's "catch phrase".

[damntexdem]

2. Who did it?

Come on, now, you did choose the Grave Theft category for $400.

;-)

[struggle4progress]

3. Charlie Chaplin's body was stolen from the grave in 1978

so apparently a few people here and there sometimes think it's a smart idea

[IamK]

4. Who took it? Thats the $64,000 question...

[Newsjock]

5. One of the greatest game show moments of all time

Bongiorno catches a contestant cheating:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwMxxDkj0Qs

You don't even need to grok Italian to enjoy.