Rocco Commisso, Mediacom founder and cable pioneer, dies at 76

Rocco Commisso, the colorful founder, chairman, and CEO of Mediacom Communications and owner of soccer clubs in the US and abroad, has died at 76. Born in Calabria, Italy, Rocco immigrated to the US at the age of 12 and later rose to become one of the nation's top entrepreneurs with Italian roots. Alongside his passion for soccer, Commisso was known for his pioneering work in the cable industry during a period in which operators flourished amid waves of mergers and acquisitions and the launch of new services and bundles, including phone, broadband, digital video, and eventually mobile. "Not only is Rocco well deserving of his reputation as one of the financial geniuses of our time, he was also an amazing teacher. He will truly be missed," said Mediacom CFO Jack Griffin.