Russian music critic and TV host Sergey Sosedov dies at 58

Journalist Vadim Takmenev announced Sosedov's death on Wednesday in an Instagram post, describing him as an irreplaceable member of the team and the heart and driving force behind the show "Superstar." Takmenev said the whole team had planned to gather this Saturday to watch the premiere of the new season of "VIA Superstar," an event Sosedov had reportedly been eagerly anticipating. The upcoming season will now be dedicated to his memory. Takmenev described him as spontaneous, fair, stubborn, kind, gentle and full of life.

According to the Telegram channel Shot, Sosedov died after accidentally falling down a staircase while on tour.

Career

Sosedov was born in Moscow in 1968 and studied journalism at Moscow State University. In the mid-1990s he worked for the newspaper Rossiyskiye Vesti. He gained wide recognition through the TV-6 program "Akuly pera" ("Sharks of the Pen"), where he interviewed Russian and international entertainment figures. He later served as a judge on Ukraine's "X Factor" and on the Russian music shows "Superstar!" and "Ty — superstar!" ("You're a Superstar!"), and hosted the NTV talk show "Za granyu" ("Beyond the Edge").

After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Sosedov criticized performers who had left the country, saying Maxim Galkin and Chulpan Khamatova should be "denounced and put in their place" and calling them "disgraceful" artists. In 2023, Ukraine added Sosedov to its sanctions list.