Brezhnev Era. His death was officially acknowledged on 11 November simultaneously by Soviet radio and television. Brezhnev was given a state funeral after three full days of national mourning, then buried in an individual tomb on Red Square at the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.
Yuri Andropov , Brezhnev's eventual successor as general secretary, was chairman of the committee in charge of managing Brezhnev's funeral, held on 15 November , five days after his death.
Brezhnev had suffered various cardiovascular ailments since Brezhnev previously broached the subject of his retirement with Yuri Andropov and Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko in The Politburo was nominally successful in keeping many of Brezhnev's ailments secret. At Mikhail Suslov 's funeral on 25 January , Brezhnev "seemed confused" by elements of the ceremony, showing uncertainty over when to salute passing troops.
While other Politburo members remained standing, Brezhnev was twice seen to move behind the Lenin Mausoleum parapet to sit in a chair and drink liquid from a mug.
On 6 March , while at Vnukovo airport to greet visiting Polish Prime Minister Wojciech Jaruzelski , Brezhnev's gait was shuffled and he appeared to be laboring for breath. Brezhnev's visit to the Bolshoi was his fourth public appearance in five days. On 22 March , Brezhnev began a visit to Soviet Central Asia which included a particularly rigorous schedule of "medal-giving ceremonies, speeches, and visits to industrial and agricultural enterprises".
