Overview
- Mash, Shot and REN TV reported he became ill at home on November 4, was taken to a hospital, and died there.
- The Telegram channel Shot said he had a serious lung disease, a detail not officially verified.
- TASS and Radio Svoboda noted condolences from Nikolai Tsiskaridze, who announced the news on Telegram.
- Nikolaev was a defining host of music and entertainment programs including Utrennyaya pochta, Utrennyaya zvezda and Dostoyanie respubliki.
- The People's Artist of Russia earned major state honors across a five-decade career, and outlets say coverage is still being updated.