Alexander Merlin, a composer and resident of besieged Leningrad, has died.

Famous composer and veteran of the Great Patriotic War Alexander Merlin died at the age of 101. This was reported on December 27 in the Telegram channel of the Russian Consulate General in Bonn.

Alexander Yulievich Merlin was an outstanding artist and the author of more than 3 thousand musical works. His songs and compositions were performed by Eduard Khil, Arkady Raikin, Mikhail Boyarsky and other famous artists.

"His military career began in the local self-defense unit of besieged Leningrad. In 1943, he was drafted into the Red Army and served in the Far East, and in 1945 he took part in battles against militaristic Japan," the Consulate General said.

In the last years of his life, Alexander Merlin lived in Munich. The Russian Consulate General expressed condolences to the composer's family and friends.