He was found dead in his Rapour Hotel room in
Amaakaohai on Orlu road in Owerri, the Imo State capital. The late actor’s body was found in his Room 204
in the hotel.
An actor, who declined to be named, said in
Owerri that he accompanied the late Efe to his room at about 11 pm on Saturday.
He said at about midnight, the late actor called to remind him of an appointment
for noon yesterday. He said he was astonished to be invited by the
hotel management yesterday afternoon when Efe’s whereabouts became unknown, yet
his room was locked.A peep after a climb through the
window revealed Efe’s lifeless body “without his shirt on. His inhaler was
by his side and we had to call in the police,” he said.
The body of the deceased was removed and taken to
the morgue of the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, he said. At the hotel
premises yesterday, there was calm but people were seen discussing it in
groups.A socialite, Efe was seen within his group of friends cracking
jokes on Saturday night.
Although the hotel management declined to speak
on the tragedy, Imo State Police spokesman Linus Nwaiwu said, “We have received
the information on the death of Sam Loco Efe from the hotel. Our homicide unit
is still working on the information.”
“Yes, it is true that Sam Loco passed away
tragically in his hotel room. I will be making a statement on Monday (today). I
can’t say much now because I want to verify the detail, Actors Guild of Nigeria
(AGN) President Segun Arinze said yesterday.
National Secretary of the AGN Chuma Onwudiwe also
last night confirmed Efe’s death.
Onwudiwe described him as, “a polyglot, actor
extraordinaire, father to many of us, intellectual and a man of immense
stature.”
Efe spoke Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa fluently, though
he hailed from Benin, Edo State. He once told an interviewer: “I seem to have a
knack for languages. I had the interest to learn the languages as well. There
is no language that is not important. I can speak Hausa 40 per cent; Igbo and
Yoruba, 100 per cent. Of course, I can speak Benin language 100 per cent.
“I am from Benin. Most people keep saying I am
from Benue. Some say I am an Ogbomoso man. Others feel this is ‘Omo Ibadan.’”
Efe performed on stage and Television for over 47
years, 35 of those years were in the movies.
The thespian that became an instant hit when he
was voted the best actor for his role in Lagbodo, Nigeria’s only drama entry at
the historic FESTAC 77, died.
A few month after the passing on of another
veteran actor Ashley Nwosu, and about a month after another legendary
entertainer Christy Essien-Igbokwe. For many years, he distinguished himself as a
rare talent for both television and stage drama. In the 70s, he acted the lead
character, Picado Suberu in Hotel De Jordan - a live drama series - and later
acted Chief Ukata Biribiri, the only Ibo Chief in the play. He also played a
lead role in Langbodo during the Festac 77.
He was born in Enugu, but spent his childhood in
Abakaliki. A modest attempt at becoming an actor was what triggered his passion
for the stage. While at school, he produced William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar
in which he acted Caesar and also directed it without any formal training.
Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola described
Efe as an extraordinarily gifted thespian whose mastery of his craft on both
stage and screen was unrivalled.
In a condolence letter to the President of AGN
President, the governor said. Efe was a cultural model who truly belonged to
the class of greats in the world of creative arts, “It is indeed heart rending to think that the
very familiar face and very likeable humour merchant whom I had known since my
teenage years has taken a final exit from life’s stage”, the letter
stated.
Source; The Nation Newspaper
Source; The Nation Newspaper
No comments:
Post a Comment