French television personality Igor Bogdanoff has sadly passed away at the age of 72 - just days after his identical twin brother, Grichka.
Per the New York Post, both of the brothers reportedly died after being diagnosed with Covid-19 - however, this has not been confirmed by the brothers' family or representatives.
A statement to The Sun from Igor's agent read: "In peace and love, surrounded by his children and his family, Igor Bogdanoff left for the light on Monday, January 3, 2022".
Igor's twin brother, Grichka, passed away just six days earlier on December 28 after reportedly being hospitalized in Paris on December 15.
The Sun adds that it was former French Minister of Education Luc Ferry - a close friend of the Bogdanoff twins - who reportedly said that Igor had been admitted to intensive care after contracting the virus in December.
Per BBC News, a friend of the twins told local cable channel BFM TV: "People have said they were anti-vaxxers but they absolutely weren't. Several friends told them to get themselves vaccinated but they felt because of their lifestyle and their [lack of] comorbidity, they weren't at risk of Covid."
Igor and Grichka Bogdanoff were born in 1949 and are descended from Austrian royalty. They both shot to fame in 1979 after becoming presenters of sci-fi show Temps X, which they went on to host throughout the 80s.
The pair would go on to feature in several other science-fiction-based television series, such as Rayons X in 2002.
In the 1990s, the twins hit headlines after their facial features changed dramatically. BBC News reports that the pair had always denied having "what people call cosmetic surgery", and once said that they were "proud of having faces like extra-terrestrials".
In 2001, the Bogdanoff brothers became the center of controversy in the scientific sphere when they published a series of lengthy papers in physics journals sharing their beliefs about the Big Bang. However, many of their peers later voiced their concerns that the papers held no scientific value and contained misleading claims.
Igor is survived by his ex-wife, writer Amélie de Bourbon-Parme, and their six children.
Our thoughts are with the family, friends, and fans of the Bogdanoff twins.
