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French showman and television personality Igor Bogdanoff passed away on January 3, 2022, just six days after the death of his identical twin brother, Grichka Bogdanoff. The news was reported by the French news agency AFP, which cited a statement from the brothers’ agent.

“Surrounded by the love of his children and family, Igor passed peacefully and departed toward the light on Monday, January 3,” the statement from his family read. No further personal details were made public at the time. However, later confirmation from the family’s attorney, speaking on the French television network BFMTV, revealed that Igor had died due to complications related to COVID-19. According to the channel, both Igor and Grichka had not been vaccinated against the virus and had previously been hospitalized in critical condition.

Grichka’s death had occurred at the end of December 2021, sending a wave of shock and grief through French media and their fanbase. Like his brother, he succumbed to complications caused by the coronavirus. The loss of both brothers within a span of less than a week marked the end of a decades-long media presence in France.

The Bogdanoff twins rose to fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s, gaining popularity as presenters of science-focused and science fiction television programs. Born in August 1949 in the department of Gers, southwestern France, the twins came from a noble and multicultural lineage. Their birth names were Igor and Grigory Bogdanoff. Their father, Yuri Mikhailovich Ostasenko-Bogdanoff, was a Russian painter of Tatar heritage, while their mother, Maria Dolores Franciszka Kolowrat-Krakowska, descended from a noble Austro-Bohemian family.

In 1979, the Bogdanoff brothers debuted their first major television project, the groundbreaking science fiction program Temps X (“Time X”), which combined futuristic themes, science education, and fiction in a unique and engaging way. Clad in futuristic suits and appearing in a set designed like a spaceship, they presented scientific theories and space-related topics to a broad audience, inspiring curiosity and imagination. Their style quickly became iconic.

Over the years, they went on to host several other programs, including Quatrième Dimension (“Fourth Dimension”), Prisonnier (“The Prisoner”), and Envahisseurs (“Invaders”), among others. The Bogdanoff brothers became well-known for their deep voices, eccentric appearances, intellectual ambitions, and controversial positions on scientific theories.

Despite the controversies surrounding some of their scientific publications and later public appearances, the Bogdanoff twins remained enduring figures in French pop culture. Their passion for science, media, and the mysteries of the universe left a lasting impression on generations of viewers.

Their near-simultaneous passing, caused by the same illness, has added a tragic layer to their already mythic public image. The legacy of Igor and Grichka Bogdanoff lives on through the shows they created, the discussions they provoked, and the cultural imprint they left behind in the French-speaking world.