Rome - Italy's president is among dozens paying tribute to journalist Sandro Curzi after the television executive's death.

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano says in a Saturday statement that Curzi's death was a great loss for Italian state television, known as RAI.

The 78-year-old Curzi suffered from lung cancer .

Curzi had started RAI Tre and directed news coverage on the pro-left channel of the state broadcaster's network. Television images from the network have showed leaders and journalists going to his apartment and to city hall to pay their respects.

Curzi had also directed "Liberation," the newspaper of the Refoundation Communist party.