Milen Tsvetkov. Photo: Courtesy of TV1.

Well-known Bulgarian TV host and journalist Milen Tsvetkov died in a car crash on Sunday, media reported. He passed away on his way to the hospital, aged 53. 

The fatal incident happened while he was waiting on a red light at a crossroad in Sofia, when his car was crashed into by a speeding jeep that failed to stop, the Ministry of Interior said. The reckless 22-year old driver of the other vehicle tested positive for amphetamines and cannabis and faces up to 15 years in prison. 

Tsvetkov, born in 1966 in Sofia, was one of the most recognizable TV personalities in Bulgaria. He was known for his charismatic presence on screen, and for a passion that often verged on impatience and sarcasm, especially when dealing with those in power. 

Tsvetkov started his career in the cult early 1990s comedy show “Ku-Ku” and as a news presenter on Bulgarian National Television. He was perhaps best known as a morning host – first with “Zdravei, Bulgaria” (“Hello, Bulgaria”), which started in 2000 and then on “60 Minutes with Milen Tsvetkov” which started in 2005, which morphed into “The hour of Milen Tsvetkov”.

He also worked as a radio presenter. Tsvetkov hosted a local edition of “Big Brother” in 2008. Besides journalism, he’s known also for a cameo appearance in the video“3 v 1”, one of the biggest hits of hip-hop band Upsurt. 

Earlier this year, along with journalist Genka Shikerova, Tsvetkov started a new discussion show, “Alternativata”, on TV1. Thelast episode with him was broadcast on April 18 and tackled the current pandemic.