Mikhail Zadornov has died. Writer, satirist, journalist, presenter. A man who, over the course of several decades, created a cultural code that was imprinted on the subcortex of several generations. A man whom, it seems, anyone, without hesitation, was ready to let into their home - he was so at home.
A little over a year ago, viewers and friends of the writer noticed that Zadornov looked very bad. The assumptions were the most terrible. Mikhail Nikolaevich himself hid for a long time what was happening to him, but in October last year he finally admitted that he had cancer.
As reported by the media, doctors discovered the disease when it was already at the last stage. For a year, Mikhail Zadornov fought for his life: he underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor and underwent chemotherapy. But, unfortunately, the disease too quickly claimed the life of the artist beloved by many.
As the co-chairman of the Russian Patient Union, neurologist Yan Vlasov, previously told Life, tumors of the central nervous system, head tumors, especially those located in the skull area, are very difficult to diagnose. Until the doctor “feels” it himself, there is always the possibility that the diagnosis is actually different.
There are cases when the tumor “hangs” for years, and then one day it grows three times in size, and the person can die, he added.
Most likely, Mikhail Zadornov had glioblastoma - this is the most aggressive type of brain tumor. On average, they live with it from nine months to a year, says oncologist surgeon Konstantin Titov.
As the doctor said, unfortunately, malignant tumors are almost always asymptomatic in the initial stages. Especially - formations in the brain.
Despite the fact that the brain is a small organ, there is a small free space in it, said Konstantin Titov. - Most often, the tumor grows in it, pushing apart the brain tissue. When headaches, dizziness, blurred vision or gait appear, these are already large and, most likely, inoperable tumors.
The oncologist recalled which stars had or have the same disease: singer Zhanna Friske, actor Valery Zolotukhin, etc. They also had brain tumors.
- A brain tumor is a fatal tumor. The patient has virtually no chance of a full recovery. We know that singer Zhanna Friske was treated for a long time with the most modern medicines by the best specialists in Europe and America. Alas, her life could not be saved. Even surgery often does not provide any guarantee - the tumor can grow again. Unfortunately, there is no prevention for this disease. If we can at least guess what causes lung cancer (most often smoking), then in the case of brain oncology it’s just fate,” said Konstantin Titov.
Mikhail Zadornov became famous as a popularly beloved satirist, humorist, actor and member of the Russian Writers' Union. He has more than ten books to his name, including lyrical and satirical stories, humoresques, essays, travel notes and plays.
The Mongol invasion left almost no trace in Russian genomes, and the Scythians were not our direct ancestors. From whom did the Russians come and what can you find out about them from DNA - in the RIA Novosti material.
What does the Russian genome consist of?
“The genome of a Russian, like the genome of any other organism, contains four nucleotides: adenine, guanine, cytosine and thymine, which are monoesters of orthophosphoric acid and connected by a phosphodiester bond. More than 99.5 percent of the nucleotide sequences in the genomes of all people on Earth are identical, and It’s this half a percent or even less - one tenth - that accounts for all the differences,” comments RIA Novosti Vladimir Bryukhin, leading researcher at the F. G. Dobzhansky Center for Genomic Bioinformatics at St. Petersburg State University.
When DNA is inherited from generation to generation, various changes occur in its structure. These are insertions or gaps (deletions) of fragments, long or short repeats of a certain combination of nucleotides, single-nucleotide polymorphisms, when only one letter is replaced in some part of the gene, and other variants. Some occur by chance (genetic drift), others are the result of adaptation to environmental conditions. All this, as a rule, is located in the non-coding part of the genome, the one that does not carry information about protein synthesis.
The resulting genome variant can be inherited and become established in the population. Then it serves as a marker by which some populations are distinguished from others. At the same time, it is not always possible to unambiguously compare populations with historical people.
Scientists have discovered a wide diversity of genomes
There are almost two hundred nationalities in Russia, of which approximately eighty percent consider themselves Russian nationalities. But even scientists consider them a “polyethnic group,” a mixture of ancient Balto-Slavic and Germanic tribes, Finno-Ugric and Turkic peoples, and many smaller ethnic groups. The genomes of Russians from different regions, often neighboring ones, differ markedly. In a word, it is unrealistic to bring the entire genetic diversity of Russians under a common denominator and obtain a certain genome of the “average Russian”.
For this reason, for example, for the Russian Genomes project, which is being implemented under the auspices of St. Petersburg State University, more than fifty populations were selected, including thirty regional Russian ethnic groups. So far, 330 genomes from 17 populations have been sequenced. This is not enough for statistics, but scientists recently shared some results.
"According to preliminary data, in general, Russians have a lot in common with the Finno-Ugric, Baltic and Western European genomes, which, however, reflects the history of migration and settlement of the people. Although general unity has not yet been traced: the genomes of the Pskov and Novgorod populations are similar to the Baltic, Arkhangelsk almost do not differ from Western Finno-Ugric ones, and southern Russians are close to Western European ones and practically do not contain a Finno-Ugric component, unlike Russians of the northwestern and central parts of Russia,” the scientist continues.
Genes tell us about our health
Researchers are interested in both ethnic origin and health-related gene variants: predisposition to diseases, effectiveness of medications, possible consequences of taking them.
“As our research has shown, on average, each person’s genome contains 50-60 genomic variants that affect the likelihood of developing a particular disease,” notes Bryukhin.
It has long been known that some inherited diseases are more common in some populations than in others. For example, phenylketonuria, which is caused by metabolic disorders and leads to mental retardation due to poor nutrition, is not so rare among Europeans and Russians. But the Mari, Chuvash, Udmurts and Adygeis have almost none. To what extent genetic differences are responsible remains to be seen.
“The prevalence of the genetic variant in the TBC1D31 gene, associated, for example, with diabetic kidney disease, varies even between the Pskov and Novgorod populations by almost two times and seven times compared to the Yakut population,” the scientist adds, emphasizing that these are preliminary data.
And if you scratch deeper
How do geneticists link DNA and ethnicity? They go on expeditions to various regions, take samples from locals and write down what nationality they consider themselves to be, where their parents and grandparents are from. If at least three generations of a family lived in the same village and called themselves Russians, such a genome is assigned to this ethnic group, originating from a certain area.
Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA is then isolated from saliva or blood samples in the laboratory and fully sequenced. The results - chains of billions of letters - are analyzed in programs, isolating known markers, looking for new ones, and comparing them with each other. Extraction and sequencing methods, as well as analysis algorithms, are constantly being improved.
In 2015, scientists from the Institute of General Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, together with foreign colleagues, published the results of a large-scale study of Russian genomes. According to their data, northern, central and southern groups are clearly distinguished. The difference is in the “substrate”, that is, the ethnic groups that lived on the territory of the European part of Russia before the arrival of the Slavs and Balts.
Trying to identify this ancient ancestral substrate with modern peoples is wrong. Scientists are inclined to conclude that it existed even before the division of populations into Slavs, Balts, Germans, Finno-Ugric peoples, and so on. More than one millennium separates us from him. Who these peoples were and what cultures they carried remains to be seen.
The widespread belief that the Slavs are direct descendants of the Scythians and, in a broader sense, Asians, is not confirmed for the same reasons: the Scythians lived two and a half thousand years ago. Russians may also have their genes, but only through the mediation of some other ethnic groups closer to us in time.
It’s like with the genes of Neanderthals and Denisovans, which Russians have, as do most modern human populations, since we all descend from the same ancestors who came out of Africa hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Scientists also deny the large contribution of the Tatar-Mongols to the Russian gene pool. The yoke has influenced history and culture, but its trace is barely noticeable in the genes. The Asian component is present in small quantities, but it is more ancient, from the ethnic groups that inhabited Siberia long before the events of the 12th-14th centuries.
One of the illustrative examples is the study of the genomes of the Cossacks. Some historians admit that since the Cossacks lived on the border of Rus', protecting it from the raids of Turkic-speaking tribes, they could eventually absorb the steppe (meaning Mongol-Tatar) component.
Russian scientists, together with Ukrainian colleagues, decided to check this and sequenced the genomes of four Cossack groups. It turned out that ninety percent of the gene pool of the Upper and Lower Don, Kuban, and Zaporozhye is similar to the East Slavic one, like that of the Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians. But the Terek Cossacks are an exception; they have a noticeable contribution of North Caucasian genes.
The study of the genomes of Russians and other ethnic groups living in the country is the mainstream of world science. Without this, it is impossible to establish the origin of modern populations, ancient population migrations, or to clarify and test historical hypotheses. And this is necessary in order to study the spread of hereditary diseases and discover genetic markers that will help make targeted medicine.
Distribution of haplogroups among Russian populations. A haplogroup is a collection of genomic variants present in a population that indicates ancestors. The diagrams show the similarity of the genomes of central and southern Russians and Don Cossacks. Among the residents of the Arkhangelsk region, haplogroup N1c (brown), characteristic of the Finno-Ugric people, stands out sharply
Today the press reported that satirist Mikhail Zadornov has died. According to journalists, he died at the age of 70. According to some reports, Mikhail Nikolaevich spent his last months in a closed sanatorium in the Moscow region.
Later, correspondents contacted TV presenter Regina Dubovitskaya and artist Roman Kartsev, who confirmed the information about Zadornov’s death. Media representatives report that the satirist will be buried in Latvia next to his parents.
Fans of Mikhail Nikolaevich offer condolences to his family and friends on social networks. Many cannot believe his sudden death. Connoisseurs of Zadornov’s work hoped until the very end that he would be able to overcome his serious illness. “It’s a pity,” “I loved him very much,” “How could that be,” “I’m sorry,” they comment on social networks.
Later, Zadornov’s relatives confirmed information about his death on the official page on social networks. They also expressed gratitude to all caring people who wrote words of support.
“Today, November 10, 2017, at 9.15 am, our loved one passed away. We thank everyone who supported him during a difficult period of his life. According to Mikhail's wishes, he will be buried in Latvia, where he was born. We will inform you about the date and time later. You all know about Mikhail’s ironic attitude towards publicity. He always protected his and our lives from the annoying interference of others. We ask you to respect his desire not to create a fuss around his death,” the satirist’s relatives shared.
Mikhail Zadornov was born on July 21, 1948 in Jurmala. The first works of the satirical writer were published in 1974. Mikhail Nikolaevich's debut on the TV screen took place in the 80s. Then Zadornov gave a monologue “A Student’s Letter Home.”
At the beginning of 2016, the satirist was diagnosed with brain cancer. The writer tried not to comment on his struggle with a serious illness. Those close to Mikhail Nikolaevich also refrained from communicating with the press. In October 2017, the man broke his long silence and addressed the public to stop the spread of speculation about his condition. The comedian claimed that the treatment in Germany was successful.
“The German doctors did not give up on me at all. The first results in rehabilitation were achieved in Germany. I continue traditional treatment and am very grateful to the doctors of the Moscow clinic where I am now. They are doing everything possible and impossible so that I recover quickly,” the satirist reported.
A few days ago, information appeared in the media that Mikhail Zadornov had changed his religion. This was announced by the rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on the Sparrow Hills in Moscow, Archpriest Andrei Novikov. He emphasized that he was sharing information with the consent of the satirist’s close relatives.
“Dear fathers, brothers and sisters! Today, at the request of family and friends, Mikhail Nikolaevich Zadornov received unction. Two months ago, Mikhail Nikolaevich brought repentance to God in the sacrament of Confession in the Kazan Cathedral in Moscow. He is going through this difficult period of his life as an Orthodox Christian who has reconciled with the Holy Church,” Novikov wrote on his Facebook page.
At the end of last year, the comedian underwent surgery. Relatives of Mikhail Nikolaevich said that a brain biopsy improved his condition.
On November 10, it became known about the death of the famous artist, writer and satirist Mikhail Zadornov. A year ago, during a performance, he had an attack, which was followed by hospitalization and long-term treatment in a clinic in Germany. But, despite the improvements that encouraged the artist and his family, after a short remission his condition began to deteriorate.
Therefore, having undergone short-term rehabilitation after a course of chemotherapy, in a Moscow clinic after a long illness, and the latest news about this incident struck his fans to the core.
Last will
Information has emerged that the satirist took care not only of his own affairs in terms of inheritance, but also discussed in advance with his relatives where he wanted to be buried. Mikhail Zadornov was unable to overcome the disease, and the latest news about his death became known to a wide audience. The artist’s relatives said that they intend to bury the satirist next to his father, whose grave is in Latvia. Also, Zadornov’s last will was the wish that his body be transported to another country only by land transport, without the use of other means. According to the relatives, they have no right to break their word given to Mikhail and are obliged to fulfill his last will.
The comedian not only joked on stage, but also promoted the cultural and tribal values of the Russian people. In his opinion, every person should know and honor their history, especially the history of their family, not forgetting their great ancestors.
Therefore, being buried next to his father was extremely important to him. Indeed, in this way, after death he will remain with his ancestor and take a place next to him not only in the cemetery, but also in the afterlife.
Also, Mikhail Zadornov, who was killed by a terrible disease, published the latest news on the Telegram social network, where he expressed his last will. He asked not to allow the Russian-language library named after Nikolai Zadornov in Riga to close and to support its activities. According to the famous artist, such a unique library has a right to exist and therefore he sincerely hoped that it would continue to exist after his death.
The legacy of a comedian
For many fans, Zadornov's performances were not only a reason to laugh at his jokes and have fun, but also instructive life lessons. Mikhail Nikolaevich taught us to take life’s difficulties more simply and not to give up when troubles start. His life position and humorous attitude towards many aspects of life and everyday life have become a role model for many generations of his fans.
Mikhail Zadornov was a sincere, kind and open person. He easily made contact with his fans and did not hesitate to participate in events that he happened to attend. So, in the city of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula, walking along the embankment and meeting the newlyweds, he sincerely congratulated the new married couple and gladly took part in a photo shoot with the newlyweds.
Mikhail Nikolaevich always expressed his extraordinary opinion, not comparable with other views. He did not like to play political games and always said what he thought, without fear of condemnation from the outside. That is why he was banned from entering many European countries, and, before his illness became known, from Ukraine.
Throughout his life, Zadornov not only performed in comedy programs, but also made several films dedicated to the history of Russia. He glorified Slavic traditions and attracted young people to study real history.
Before the audience who watched his documentaries, Mikhail Nikolaevich posed questions that made them think about many gaps in Russian history. He believed that after 20-30 years the textbooks would be rewritten and the empty spaces on the pages would be filled. Then the Russians will finally know their full and true history. Unfortunately, Zadornov will not be able to see and read them in person.
Also, the famous satirist sent many humorous books to publishing houses, which began to be actively published in 1990. The writer wrote his first work in 1970, but the editors of the printing house did not like it. Therefore, the debut book was never published. But, over time, the author of satire and humor honed his writing skills and his works began to be published in printed copies and in large editions. And when Zadornov gained popularity as an artist in humorous programs, his books became doubly popular.
But Mikhail Nikolaevich not only wrote books, but also helped others read them. Having joined forces with Alexey Sheinin, in 2012 he opened a library named after. Nikolai Zadornov. The satirist created the interior personally, and many of the items were invented by him.
Zadornov had to transport his initial second-hand book “capital” to Latvia illegally. But the idea found a response and after 3 months 2,000 people became its regular visitors. And many celebrities from the CIS countries shared copies of their favorite works.
Epitaph
After the death of Mikhail Zadornov, who was unable to overcome the disease, the latest news on all Russian television channels changed. Today the broadcasting of some programs will be changed and will not run as scheduled:
- The channel “Russia-1” will launch a program called “Andrey Malakhov. Live broadcast”, where the latest news about the life and death of the satirist will be covered. Due to the sudden death of the comedian, Malakhov’s team had to quickly rewrite the script and collect the maximum amount of information about Mikhail Zadornov. The entire program will be dedicated exclusively to him.
- On October 10, the REN TV channel will show a documentary film released by Mikhail Zadornov in 2005 entitled “Prophetic Oleg. Found reality." The channel announced this in the news service. The canal workers believe that in this way they will honor the memory of this wonderful and extraordinary person who worked with them for many years.
The President of the Russian Federation did not stand aside either. Vladimir Putin, who had a very close relationship with Mikhail Zadornov, hoped that the disease would not be able to defeat such a strong man, so the latest news was marked by the fact that the head of the country expressed his condolences to the relatives and fans of the great man.
At the same time, Vladimir Vinokur suggested that in fact Zadornov’s death is another bluff and a joke that was quickly spread by the yellow press. All this time, he tried to contact the satirist’s relatives in order to obtain reliable information about the artist’s death, but was unable to contact either his daughter or his legal wife.
Therefore, he asks journalists not to rush to conclusions and not to publish information that has not been verified from the original source.
Otherwise, it may turn out that Mikhail Zadornov suddenly “resurrects from the dead,” completely unaware of the trouble that has happened, and ruins all the fun for journalists by completely denying the information. Perhaps Vinokurov is right in expressing this opinion. After all, there have been more than once cases when the “death of an artist” was a falsification and a lie deliberately spread by journalists. But when condolences come from the government, it is impossible to deny what happened. After all, Mikhail Zadornov is not a mythical character who can be reborn from the ashes.
The death of Mikhail Zadornov was confirmed by his relatives, publishing a statement in “Live Diaries” and on the social network “Vkontakte”. They reported that the satirist died on November 10 at 9.15 am. The relatives also asked to show respect for the memory of the deceased and not to air his “dirty laundry” by highlighting the negative aspects of his biography. Zadornov always tried to protect his personal life from outside interference, not allowing the press to delve into his family affairs.
A friend of the late Mikhail Zadornov, Vladimir Kachan, whom he spoke about more than once in interviews and in his books, told reporters about how the satirist courageously fought against oncology. The writer himself and his relatives tried not to share such information with the public, not wanting to attract unnecessary attention to their problems. According to rumors, a few months before his death, Zadornov turned to a famous healer.
Vladimir Kachan confirmed that the satirist actually tried unconventional methods of treatment, but was disappointed in them. A famous healer came to Zadornov and managed to help Philip Yankovsky. According to rumors, the specialist even advised Mikhail Gorbachev. But he was unable to find an approach to Mikhail Nikolaevich.
“We decided that such treatment would not bring harm to Zadornov. As they say, trying is not torture. The healer came to the hospital, made passes over Misha’s head with his hands, and talked about his famous patients. At some point, Zadornov could not stand it and whispered: “Listen, I think he’s driving!”.. I hoped to the end. If Misha has not lost the ability to joke, then we will get through. But... the miracle did not happen,” shared the writer’s friend.
Kachan also remembered how his friend’s illness began. According to the artist, the development of a serious illness was provoked by a head injury received by Zadornov while skiing in the Alps. Maxim Galkin and other friends were vacationing with him then. When Mikhail Nikolaevich suddenly disappeared, his friends were seriously worried. The satirist was found only three hours later. The right side of Zadornov's face became swollen, and he had to go to a Swiss hospital.
Having learned about the terrible diagnosis, Mikhail Nikolaevich went to Germany to see a famous surgeon who performed an operation on him. The writer was promised that everything would be fine. However, three months later, a new tumor began to grow. “She turned off parts of the body in parts: her legs, arms stopped obeying... Only her brain worked until the last moment,” said Kachan.
Zadornov’s loved ones believed until the end that he would be able to overcome the disease. The writer showed those around him a cheerful mood. Both of the satirist’s favorite women – ex-wife Velta and current chosen one Elena – were on duty near his bed, replacing each other.
“The common grief united them. Misha left hard. Only those closest to him, literally a few people, knew about this. The rest were informed that he had gone to Riga for treatment. They said this so that no one would bother him. In fact, in recent weeks my friend was fading away in a rehabilitation center near Moscow,” recalls Kachan.
Maxim Galkin visited an old acquaintance and shared news with them. During one of his last visits, Zadornov was already completely weak. The TV presenter, who considered Mikhail Nikolaevich his friend, understood that he had very little time left.
“At the very end, Misha experienced severe pain and suffered a lot. (...) For the last few weeks, Zadornov has been in a coma. I brought a priest I knew, whom I had difficulty persuading to administer unction. Other priests did not agree, remembering that Misha liked to call himself a pagan. Father Andrei also refused at first,” said a friend of the writer.
Vladimir Kachan recently learned that Zadornov had written a will, the magazine reports "Caravan of Stories". The satirist's last will should be made public this spring.
