MSNBC Just Announced That Boris Yeltsin has died.

[Frustratedlady]

No link yet.

[DFW]

1. His liver died about 5 years ago.

He's pretty much been running on empty for a while now.

He might have been an important historical figure if he
hadn't drowned his brain in alcohol for so man decades.

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. No matter what happened subsequently, he remains an important

figure in world history. He stopped the pro-communist coup that would have 1) restored communism to Russia, and/or 2)sparked a 2nd Russian civil war.

Like Gorbechav, he played his part and history moved on, but that doesn't diminish what he did accomplish.

[guruoo]

3. Wikipedia already updated

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Yeltsin

Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (Russian: Бори́с Никола́евич Е́льцин (help·info),
Boris Nikolaevič Yel'cin) (February 1, 1931 – April 23, 2007<1>)

Kremlin spokesperson Alexander Smirnov confirmed on 23 April 2007 that Boris Yeltsin had died. An unidentified medical source reported to Interfax that he died of heart failure. He was 76.<19><1><20>

Shortly after the news broke, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev issued a statement, saying "I offer my deepest condolences to the family of a man on whose shoulders rested many great deeds for the good of the country and serious mistakes -- a tragic fate".