Anatoly Kashpirovsky

Anatoly Kashpirovsky became one of the most famous faces in the late Soviet Union when his mass hypnosis and "healing" sessions were broadcast on national television in 1989, drawing tens of millions of viewers. Trained as a psychotherapist, he later toured widely and served in Russia's State Duma from 1993 to 1995. His claims to heal illness through the screen were widely criticised by doctors. TV presenter Andrey Malakhov announced that he died in Moscow on October 3 at the age of 87, and his director told the TASS news agency the cause was cardiac arrest.