Award-Winning Actress Dies of Heart Failure Following Cancer Diagnosis: Yevgenia Dobrovolskaya Was 60

Yevgenia Dobrovolskaya (Евге́ния Доброво́льская), the acclaimed actress, has died, according to the Moscow Chekhov Art Theatre. She was 60.

The theatre shared the news of the Queen Margot and Actress star’s death via Telegram, as spotted by RBC. The statement noted Dobrovolskaya was dealing with a “serious illness” before her death; Komsomolskaya Pravda reports she had been dealing with cancer since 2021. Mash reports her official cause of death as acute heart failure.

“It is incredibly difficult to say and impossible to accept… Evgenia Dobrovolskaya has died,” the translated announcement read, in part. “People’s Artist of Russia, truly loved by the entire country. The leading actress of the Art Theatre, who played dozens of leading roles on its stage over 33 years. Our Zhenya, infinitely talented and fearless and just as infinitely doubting, unpredictable, extremely sincere, real always and in everything.”

The statement went on to say, “… despite her thirst for life and stubbornness of spirit, her physical strength proved to be finite. She is no longer in this world.”

Dobrovolskaya was a decorated thespian in Russia. The government awarded her the honorary title of People’s Artist of the Russian Federation in 2005. She also won a Nika Award and a Golden Eagle Award, which are presented by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science and the National Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences of Russia, respectively.

She is survived by three sons (Stepan, Nikolai and Yan) and a daughter (Anastasia).