Algimantas Čekuolis, a celebrated Lithuanian journalist, longtime LRT television host, author of 22 books, traveller, and guide, has died at the age of 93. His son, Justas Čekuolis, confirmed the news to LRT.lt on Friday.
In recent years, Čekuolis lived in a nursing home. After celebrating his 90th birthday, he chose to move there, recognising his need for constant care and assistance. While in the nursing home, he continued writing and published his final book, Medinė kaukė. Tikroji mano istorija (Wooden Mask: My True Story).
Over his lifetime, Čekuolis wrote 22 books and produced numerous television programmes and articles.
“This is how I escape decay and death. Truthfully, I am not afraid of death. I believe my departure will be simple. If I do not experience great physical pain – and with today’s medicine, that is avoidable – I will close my eyes, and after that, there will be nothing. That’s not bad at all,” he told LRT.lt in an interview some years ago.
For his contributions, Čekuolis was honoured with Lithuania’s Independence Medal and the Officer’s Cross of the Order of the Grand Duke Gediminas.
A life of adventure and journalism
Born on November 10, 1931, in Panevėžys, Lithuania, to a family of rural teachers, Čekuolis left for Moscow at age 16 to study at a literary institute. He later spent 12 years working as a sailor on fishing vessels, eventually becoming a boatswain. While fishing in Cuban waters, he learned Spanish and was later invited to work as a translator onshore.
“I always wanted a bigger bite than I could chew. In my youth, I realised that to achieve anything, you must work very hard,” Čekuolis once said.
From 1964 to 1967, he worked as a translator in Havana and completed studies at a language school there. He then joined the Novosti Press Agency in Moscow, serving as a correspondent in Canada and later heading offices in Lisbon and Madrid. He was fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Italian, and French.
In 1986, Čekuolis returned to Lithuania to become the editor-in-chief of the weekly Gimtasis kraštas.
In 1988, he was elected to the Lithuanian Sąjūdis movement’s founding group. The following year, he was elected as a delegate to the Congress of People’s Deputies of the USSR, serving until Lithuania regained independence.
In 1992, he became a lecturer at Vilnius University, teaching communication and negotiation skills to students at the Faculty of Communication.
A television icon
For many years, Čekuolis hosted the LRT programme Popietė su Algimantu Čekuoliu (Afternoon with Algimantas Čekuolis). “When I started in television, I imagined my aunt from Kaunas watching me critically. That kept me cheerful, relaxed, and ensured I had thoughts to share, not just visuals to show,” he once told LRT.lt.
Over two decades, the programme became a cultural phenomenon, and Čekuolis one of Lithuania’s most respected journalists. On his 80th birthday, he was recognised as the world’s oldest active television host. He retired from television at 85 in 2016.
Čekuolis had two adult children from his first marriage to Birutė Čekuolienė. In 1996, he married psychologist Edita Čekuolienė, who passed away on June 14, 2019, after a severe illness.
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