Vyacheslav Vershinin, People's Artist of Russia, has passed away.

Vyacheslav Vershinin, People's Artist of Russia and Honored Artist of the Republic, has died in North Ossetia. This was announced on August 31 by the head of North Ossetia, Sergei Menyailo.

"The legendary master of the Ossetian stage, Vyacheslav Vershinin, People's Artist of Russia, Honored Artist of North Ossetia—Alania, has passed away. For almost six decades, his creative career was associated with the Academic Russian Theater. Evgeny Vakhtangov," Menyailo said in his Telegram channel.

The head of the region emphasized that Vershinin was a loyal friend and mentor to his colleagues, and an artist who could touch the heart and give real emotions to the audience.

"My deepest condolences to the family and friends of Vyacheslav Grigorievich. A happy memory," he added.

Vershinin graduated from the theater studio in Kharkov in 1963 (teacher S.F. Khodkevich), worked at the Smolensk Drama Theater, and since 1967 he has performed at the North Ossetian Russian Drama Theater named after E. Vakhtangov. In addition to acting, he staged plays and created more than two hundred stage images, including roles in productions by M. Gorky, A.N. Ostrovsky, M.A. Bulgakov, A.P. Chekhov and other classics. Among his famous roles are Tevye the Milkman in "Memorial Prayer", Trigorin in "The Seagull", the Prince in "Uncle's Dream" and Ivan the Terrible in "Vasilisa Melentyeva".

Vershinin was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1983) and People's Artist of Russia (1996), as well as the K.L. Khetagurov Republican Prize of the North Ossetian ASSR (1968).