Veteran actor, Olumide Bakare, has died after a long illness.
According to his personal assistant, Bakare, 65, died in the early hours of Saturday.
His colleague, Saidi Balogun, confirmed it in a tweet on his twitter handle, @saidibalogun. He said the veteran actor was gone too soon.
Bakare had been critically ill with heart and lung illnesses and on admission at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State.
It was gathered Olumide Bakare needed about N30,000 daily for diagnosis after having spent over a million naira on medical expenses.
Fred Amata, President, Directors’ Guild of Nigeria (DGN), on Saturday said that the death Bakare would not stop his legacy from living-on in the minds of people, through the theatre.
Amata said in Lagos that thespians, even after death, were always remembered because of their contributions to the entertainment industry.
The Ibadan-based actor and former NTA staff, fondly called Chief Koko, on the heels of his role in a TV series, ‘Koko Close’, had been battling ill-health since 2013.
“It is sad that we have lost one of our veteran actors in the entertainment industry but we must give glory to God for He is the giver and taker of life.
“Although Bakare is dead, but he will continue to live on through his works and contributions to Nollywood, in the minds of his fans and friends,’’ he said.
Amata condoled with the family of the deceased and prayed that God would grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.
Emeka Ibeh, President, Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN), said, “I really do not know the deceased in person but from his works and contributions to the development of Nollywood, he would be greatly missed by his fans.
“I pray that God grants his family members the strength to bear the loss, at a time like this,” he said.
Afeez Oyetoro, a Nigerian comic actor popularly known as ‘Saka’, said that Bakare’s death came as a shock to him, although he was aware that the deceased was very sick.
Saka said that Bakare would be greatly missed in the entertainment industry and prayed for the family to have the strength to bear the loss.
