TV presenter Alexander Maslyakov has died at the age of 83, the KVN press service reported. The cause of death has not been specified.
“He was and will forever remain a legend for all participants of the KVN movement and millions of viewers. Since 1964, he hosted the KVN program, becoming a symbol of humor and satire in Russia and beyond,” the statement said.
Telegram channel Shot specified that Maslyakov had been “in poor condition” for the past six months. He allegedly had difficulty speaking and breathing.
The cause of the presenter’s death was lung cancer, Shot claims. According to the channel, Maslyakov had an inoperable tumor – eight months ago, doctors said that treatment would no longer help. The situation was complicated by the consequences of COVID, which the TV presenter suffered from twice, Shot writes. Recently, he moved around in a golf cart with security.
Alexander Maslyakov was born on November 24, 1941 in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg). He graduated from the Moscow Institute of Transport Engineers and the Higher Courses for Television Workers. Maslyakov began working in television in 1964 – as a fourth-year student, he got a job in the main editorial office of youth programs.
During his work on television, Maslyakov hosted many programs, including “Hello, We Are Looking for Talents!”, “Jolly Fellows”, “12th Floor”, “Song of the Year”, “Alexander Show”, etc. He was also the first host of the program “What? Where? When?”.
Maslyakov became a permanent host of KVN in 1965. In March 1990, Maslyakov, together with his wife Svetlana, founded the Creative Television Association AMiK, which owns the brand of the Club of the Merry and Inventive.
Maslyakov played his last KVN game in 2022. In April 2024, the Mash Telegram channel wrote that Maslyakov was leaving KVN due to an inoperable tumor in his lungs, which was found in 2022 after he had COVID.