The legendary TV presenter Alexander Safonov has died
This was reported by Channel 24, citing journalist Mykola Kanishevsky.
He worked in Ukrainian television for over 40 years
Oleksandr Safonov was born on 28 November 1943 in the Vinnytsia region. He studied at the Ivan Franko Theatre in Kyiv, the Maria Zankovetska Theatre in Lviv and the Leningrad Institute of Culture. He began his career at the Lviv Philharmonic, where he worked as a presenter of music programmes. It was there that he was spotted by television journalist Myroslav Skochylas, who invited him to work as an announcer for Lviv Television. Safonov made his first on-air appearance in December 1967. He later became an announcer for the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company of Ukraine. For many years, Safonov hosted state ceremonies, concerts and major television programmes. Viewers remembered him for his velvety voice, restrained manner of presentation and elegance.
He spent the last years of his life in the Cherkasy region
In 2009, the TV presenter underwent an unsuccessful operation, followed by two strokes. After that, he was confined to a wheelchair. In 2017, a charity concert in support of Safonov was held at the ‘Ukraine’ Palace, during which funds were raised for his rehabilitation. This was his last public appearance. In the final years of his life, the presenter lived in a village in the Cherkasy region, where he was looked after by a relative. Oleksandr Safonov had no family of his own.
Colleagues remember him as a man of exceptional charisma
Following the news of his death, Safonov’s colleagues and friends have been sharing their memories of him. TV presenter Svitlana Bilonozhko called him her mentor, whilst musicologist Halyna Babiy remembered Safonov as a “two-metre-tall handsome man from the television screen”. Mykhailo Masliy, a historian of Ukrainian pop music, said that even in a serious condition, Safonov kept a close eye on the news and worried about Ukraine. Alexander Safonov’s funeral will take place on 17 May in the village of Potash, Uman District, Cherkasy Region.
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