A year in pictures: 1982
GETTY^ IMAGESFloral tribute
Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev lies in state in the
House of Unions in Moscow, after his death on
10 November 1982 following a heart attack.
The funeral on 15 November was attended by
32 heads of state. After the original coffin
collapsed under his weight, the metal-plated
replacement was so heavy that pall-bearers
reputedly dropped it clumsily into the grave. The
funeral was organised by Yuri Andropov, who
became Brezhnev’s successor as General Secretary
and effective leader of the Soviet Union.