‘Hail to Gorbachev’: Old Pizza Hut commercial resurfaces after former Soviet leader dies

An old Pizza Hut commercial starring former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has resurfaced amid the news of his death Tuesday.

The advertisement features Gorbachev entering a Pizza Hut in Moscow, which causes an argument among two patrons on whether Gorbachev was a good leader. The two ultimately realize he was a good leader because he allowed Pizza Hut to open in Russia, leading to chants of “Hail to Gorbachev.”

MIKHAIL GORBACHEV, LAST LEADER OF THE SOVIET UNION AND NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER, DIES

The commercial only aired internationally, as Gorbachev was, and still is, a controversial figure in Russia, with some lamenting the fall of the Soviet Union under his watch and others praising his introduction of more freedoms.

After filming the commercial, Gorbachev told the New York Times in 1997 he did the advertisement to fund his foundation.

”I thought that it is a people’s matter — food. This is why if my name works for the benefit of consumers, to hell with it — I can risk it,” Gorbachev said.

He also told the news outlet he was unsure how much he was being paid but accepted the offer from Pizza Hut after turning down various other endorsements.

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Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union before its collapse in 1991, introducing reforms that modified the country toward a more free-market economy and loosened restrictions on speech. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990 for his efforts to help end the Cold War.

The Soviet reformer was in his early 90s when he was reported dead by Russian media on Tuesday. He was being treated for a long-term illness at Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow.