Anatoly Kashpirovsky, Soviet-Era TV Hypnotist, Dies at 87

Anatoly Kashpirovsky, the Soviet and Russian psychotherapist and television host known for his televised hypnosis and "healing" broadcasts, has died at the age of 87, according to Kommersant, citing a report from Russian state news agency TASS.

His death was confirmed by his director, Sergei Rudykh, who spoke to TASS. Further details about the circumstances of his death were not included in initial reports.

A controversial television phenomenon

Kashpirovsky rose to nationwide fame in the Soviet Union in the late 1980s through televised sessions in which he claimed to use hypnosis to treat viewers' ailments remotely, drawing enormous audiences during a period of major social and political change in the country. His broadcasts became one of the most widely discussed media phenomena of the late Soviet era, generating both a large following and considerable skepticism from medical professionals, who questioned the scientific basis of his methods.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kashpirovsky continued to make public appearances and maintained a public profile in Russia, though he never again achieved the scale of attention his television sessions drew during their original broadcast.

News of his death drew renewed attention in Russia to his unusual role in the country's media history, as a figure who became emblematic of a distinctive moment in Soviet and post-Soviet popular culture.