Yuri Nikulin is well known people not just for grandmas, but also to most Russian people and for people from other CIS countries.
He was very famous actor, clown, TV presenter, wrighter and comic. I think everyone saw minimum 1 time films like "operation Ы",
"Caucasian captive", "Dog Barbos and unusual cross", where he had one of main roles.
Not everyone knows, but he was a soldier in ww2. Many of his friends from that times and also he said that he was one of the most positive people there and told jokes much more than other people.
After his actor career he became a TV presenter at "ОТР" channel in TV show - club "White parrot"
Of course in soviet union there wasn't any social media or internet like now, but of course he communicated with fans. He was just normal people like everyone and everyone could meet him in the Moscov. He could have mails from his fans and phone calls sometimes.
As he hadn't got any social media - Noone follows him there.
And his only product is big circus where he worked as a clown and since 1982 as main director.
Yuri Nikulin died in 21.08.1997 when he was 75 years old.
And if he has an official fan club -I'm in it.