(JTA) — Russian media mogul Mikhail Lesin, a former aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, was found dead in a Washington hotel room.
Lesin’s body was discovered Thursday at an upscale hotel. He was 57.
Lesin was the founder of the English-language news service Russia Today, now known as RT. The RT website reported that he died of a heart attack, citing a family member.
Tass, the Russian news agency, reported that no signs of foul play had been found but that an investigation into his death had been launched.
Lesin was the Russian minister of press and mass media from 1999 to 2004, and served as the presidential media adviser from 2004 to 2009.
He was the chief executive officer at Gazprom-Media, the largest Russian media holding company, from 2013 until early this year.
Lesin had been accused of limiting press freedom in Russia.
