Alexei Leonov, 1st person to walk in space, dies at 85

Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Alexei Leonov, the first person to walk in space, has died, Russian space agency Roscosmos announced Friday. He was 85.

His assistant, Natalya Filimonova, told Russian state-run news agency Tass that he died after a long illness at Burdenko Hospital.

"Roscosmos State Corporation management and employees express deep condolences to the friends and relatives of Alexey Leonov. A telegram with condolences was sent to the friends and relatives on behalf of Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin," Roscosmos said in a statement.

Leonov was the first person to conduct a spacewalk during a launch of the spacecraft Voskhod-2 on March 18, 1965. The walk lasted about 20 minutes, during which he spent 10 minutes free floating while tethered to the spacecraft.

He was the commander on his second space flight on July 15, 1975, when the Soviet Soyuz-19 docked with a NASA Apollo spacecraft.

Leonov was twice awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title. His funeral is scheduled for Tuesday at the Federal Military Memorial Cemetery in Mytishchi.