Renowned Armenian artist Ashot Melkonyan died at the age of 79 in Fresno, California. He was born in 1930 in Rostov-on-Don. His family moved to Armenia in 1935, where he graduated from Yerevan specialized school of Fine Arts after P. Terlemezyan, thereafter State Arts Institute.

Since 1957, Melkonyan is a member of the Union of Armenian Artists. Further, in 1977 he was awarded as Honored artist of Armenia. Starting 1997, Melkonyan lived and worked in the U.S.

K.M