Grandpa Tolya – “Ukraine’s most famous grandad” from TikTok – has died

This was announced by Anatoliy Yaroslavskyi’s grandson, Oleksandr Husin, on Instagram.

Anatoliy Yaroslavskyi from Kamianets-Podilskyi in the Khmelnytskyi region, known on social media as Grandpa Tolya, has died. He was 88 years old.

The sad news was announced on Sunday, 15 March, by his grandson, Oleksandr Husin, on Instagram.

It was his grandson who filmed and posted the videos featuring his grandfather, which garnered millions of views. Thanks to this popularity, Grandpa Tolya was dubbed “Ukraine’s most famous grandfather”.

“They’ve just called my mum and said that Grandpa has passed away, yes. We did everything we could,” said Gusin in the video.

He also explained that Anatoliy Ivanovych had undergone a planned operation – the amputation of his right leg above the knee – at a hospital in Kamianets-Podilskyi. According to him, the man died from complications following the surgery.

As noted by Zaxid.net, Grandpa Tolya was remembered by viewers for his witty remarks featuring profanity and became the subject of many memes.

In particular, he gained widespread popularity thanks to a video in which he covered the song “Stefania” by the band Kalush. This video has been viewed over 9 million times.

Over 1.2 million users follow the did.tolya.vnuk page on TikTok.

Grandpa Tolya and his grandson have also appeared on comedy shows, including the programme “Make the Comedian Laugh”.