2nd Wealthiest Man In NJ Dies

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Bergen County resident Rocco Commisso, the founder of Mediacom and one of Forbes' wealthiest billionaires, has died, his company announced Saturday.

Commisso, 76, was the founder and CEO Mediacom Communications, a cable television company he launched in 1995.

Mediacom called Commisso "one of the most successful Italian immigrant entrepreneurs in our nation’s history." He was born in Calabria, Italy, and immigrated to the U.S. at age 12, the company said. He was student body president at Columbia Business School.

Commisso frequently appeared in the "Forbes 400" list of the world's wealthiest billionaires, and was usually first or second in New Jersey, with his home listed in Saddle River.

Commisso also owned soccer teams, spending more than $400 million over two years on the Italian soccer club ACF Fiorentina, he told Forbes in 2024.

"After a prolonged period of medical treatment, our beloved President has left us," Fiorentina said in a statement on Saturday. "For his family, he was an example and a guiding light, a loyal and faithful man."

He also owned the New York Cosmos, who described him Saturday as "deeply committed to creating opportunities for young people through education, sport and community investment."

He was worth $7.7 billion in 2024, when he was the wealthiest man in New Jersey, Forbes said. This was actually a drop from the $8.4 billion net worth reported in 2021, according to Patch.

This year, Commisso was listed by Forbes as the second wealthiest man in New Jersey, behind John Overdeck.

According to Mediacom, services for the businessman will be held this week in Bergen County, then in Manhattan and eventually Italy. The first visitation will be held at Vander Plaat-Vermeulen Memorial Home in Franklin Lakes.

Read more about Commisso on Patch here.

Read more about him on Mediacom's website here.

See his obituary here.