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Celebrated award-winning Nigerian actor Ernest Asuzu, one of the most beloved Nollywood personalities of the modern era, best known for playing criminal and bad boy roles in the 90s, died Tuesday in Lagos. He was 37.
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According to local media, the self-styled 'El Cream' actor, producer and musician- who came down with a stroke in 2015 - fainted at his home and was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. He is survived by a wife and two children.
“I have reached out to his wife. He has been battling various health challenges, like blood pressure. Kind-hearted Nigerians helped in the past and he was treated. He has been hale and hearty. But suddenly, yesterday, he just fainted,” the President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Emeka Rollas, was quoted as saying.
The help Rollas is referring to is the January 2020 incident where a video of Asuzu begging for alms on the streets of Lagos surfaced online forcing AGN to intervene in aid of the actor following an uproar from concerned citizens who accused the body of abandoning the actor. We have been on his case for many years now. We took him to a man of God who healed him of his ailment. He was there for months and when he was leaving he blessed him with a Jeep,” said AGN chair.
Speaking to The Sun in 2017, Asuzu expressed optimism of full recovery saying the Jeep was a sign of his changing fortunes. “Look at me now I have a Jeep. If anybody had told me when I was down with stroke that I’d ride a Jeep, I would not believe. But a man of God in Warri, Delta State blessed me with the car, that’s the car I brought to church today. Isn’t that marvellous? God saw my pain and faith in Him and intervened,” said Asuzu.
Adding: “The thing that happened to me wasn’t my making; a man got jealous of my rising profile and inflicted me with stroke. I don’t want to emphasise on that. Let God judge the man. I’m glad because I’m not dead yet, when you are dead, that’s when you are gone. Now that I’m alive and back on my feet, it’s the Lord’s doing. I am alive by the intervention of God so I want everyone to know that I’ve given my life to God and my movie life is running and thriving.”
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Rest in peace Asuzu.
