Tigran Keosayan, husband of Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the pro-Kremlin outlet Russia Today (RT) and the state-owned media group Rossiya Segodnya, died overnight Friday, Sept. 26, after being in a coma for more than nine months.
Simonyan announced the death on her Telegram channel, writing, “Last night, Tigran passed away and went to the Creator. Thank you to everyone who prayed. Please do not call me or the family right now. Thank you all, thank you.”
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Keosayan, a Russian filmmaker and television host, was reportedly hospitalized in late December 2024 in the intensive care unit of a Moscow cardiology clinic, where he suffered clinical death.
In January, Simonyan confirmed that her husband had “suffered clinical death and is in a coma,” adding that he has long had heart problems.
At the time, some rumors suggested Keosayan may have been targeted by Ukrainian intelligence, though these claims have not been confirmed.
In an update on Sept. 22, Simonyan said her husband remained in a coma and that she is undergoing cancer treatment, without specifying the type of cancer.
“What’s so good about that? You’ll see me in wigs soon. We’ll choose the best one together,” she wrote in response to a friend’s well-wishing message.
The couple has been a vocal supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, defending Kremlin policies, dismissing Western criticism, and at times threatening to escalate the conflict.
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RT, under Simonyan’s leadership, has been banned in the EU, the UK and other countries for spreading disinformation and propaganda about the war in Ukraine.
Simonyan was recently awarded the Insignia of St. Olga, Third Class, by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow for her “contribution to preserving traditional values in society.”
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