Sergei Vikharev was born in Saint Petersburg and trained at the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet. He graduated in 1980 and joined the Mariinsky Ballet after winning a prize in Varna at the International Ballet Competition. In 1985, he won a prize at an international ballet competition in Moscow and was promoted to principal in 1986. His repertoire with the Mariinsky Ballet included leading roles in La Sylphide, Giselle, Napoli, The Naiad and the Fisherman, The Sleeping Beauty, the La Vivandière Pas de six, Paquita, Les Sylphides Petrushka, Carnaval and Symphony in C. In 2002, he became an Honoured Artist of Russia. On 2nd of June 2017, Vikharev attended a private dental clinic in Saint Petersburg to have a dental procedure, for which he was put under a general anesthetic. The drug used for the protocol was Propofol, but shortly after the anesthetic was admitted, he lost consciousness and went into cardiac arrest. Despite the medical team's efforts to resuscitate him, he died before the ambulance arrived; he was 55 years old. His wake was held at the Mariinsky Theatre on June 8, which was attended by many of his family members, friends and colleagues, followed by his funeral; he was buried in the Seraphimovskoe Cemetery.