Stalin’s grandson passes away

The grandson of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, Alexander Burdonsky, National Artist of the Russian Federation and stage director of the Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army, died on May 23 at the age of 75, the theater’s spokesperson Marina Astafieva said.

"Alexander Vassilyevich died last night after a grave illness," TASS cited the spokesperson as saying.

Burdonsky, a Russian theatre director who won numerous national stage awards and honorary titles, was born into the family of Stalin’s son Vassily on October 14, 1941 in Kuibyshev.

In 1966, he entered the Russian University of Theater Arts’ department of general stage management. In 1971, he joined the Malaya Bronnaya Theater working there for a year, until finally moving on to the Theater of the Russian Army.