Lesson of courage — Nagiyev told how Alexander Maslyakov was fading away

Permanent member of the KVN jury Yuli Gusman expressed condolences to the relatives of Alexander Maslyakov. He called the death of the permanent leading club a great loss.

"When such a grief happens, you suddenly find yourself near the edge of this abyss and realize what a loss this is for the entire Russian cultural world," Channel Five quotes Gusman as saying.

Gusman told how he met Maslyakov.

"Sasha Maslyakov has been leading KVN since 1963, and in 1965 our team "Guys from Baku“ I met with him, including me, we became friends and worked all our lives. I have to say, it doesn't matter how old it is here — you could have seen it for the first time on the screen yesterday and immediately fell in love with it. Although there are no such Russian—speaking people on Earth who would not know Alexander Maslyakov," he noted.

Actor Dmitry Nagiyev called the permanent leader of the Club of funny and resourceful Alexander Maslyakov an example of courage and a truly great man.

"Although I am not a caveman, I am extremely grateful to him. At the moment when I sat on the KVN jury, there were five or six people sitting there, and I tend to think that these are people who deserve the right to evaluate today's humor. Thus, thanks to Maslyakov, I poured balm on my self-esteem and received confirmation of some of my status, to which I had been going for many years," Nagiyev said.

He added that he had never felt anxious about his relationship with Maslyakov, whom many considered a difficult person to communicate with.

"He was open with me, I do not know why. And this openness was until the last days. The last time I spoke with Alexander Vasilyevich was two months ago. I talked to his wife a month ago, he didn't pick up the phone. She said he was a little sick. And for me, the courage with which a person faded away is a lesson. I didn't see any panic, tears, or tantrums from him. For me, this is an indicator, confirmation that this is a great person," Nagiyev stressed.

Actor Viktor Vasiliev learned about the death of KVN host Alexander Maslyakov from journalists. The actor was on the set at that moment.

"Oh my God, today? To say that I'm in shock. I knew it would happen sooner or later, it would happen. But I wasn't ready for that. This is a very big loss for all of us," said Vasiliev.

He refused to give any further comments.

The death of the presenter became known on the evening of September 8. The leader of the funny and Resourceful Club was 82 years old. Alexander Maslyakov has been leading KVN since 1964. During his time on television, he received many awards and became a knight of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, as well as the founder of the AMiK creative association.

"His contribution to the development of domestic entertainment television cannot be overestimated," the official KVN channel writes.