Veteran Nollywood actor Pete Edochie has again dismissed rumours claiming he is dead, describing the report as another false story.
The latest claim is part of a long-running pattern of death hoaxes involving the actor, which date back to 2012. Over the years, false reports have alleged that he died abroad, in road accidents, or in plane crashes.
Edochie, who is 78, remains active in the film industry and has received several honours, including the Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) and the AMVCA Industry Merit Award.
Speaking in a telephone conversation with Vanguard on Tuesday, Pete Edochie debunked the rumour, saying, “I’m alive and will die when my maker calls me home.”
He said the false reports about his death have surfaced several times. “I have been killed about seven times. There was a time they said I travelled abroad and died there.
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At other times, they said that the plane I boarded from Enugu to Ethiopia suddenly crashed and I didn’t survive. There was also a day, my wife woke up to prepare for church service, when her telephone rang and the caller said he heard that I passed away this morning. Last year, somebody from Ghana alleged that Pete Edochie was already in the grave.”
The most recent claim alleged that the actor was rushed to a hospital and died, with reports falsely stating that his son, Uche Edochie, confirmed the information on Instagram.
Speaking further, Edochie recalled advice he received from Nigeria’s first president, Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe. “However, there was something late Nnamdi Azikwe thought me when I interviewed him. He said that anybody who’s wishing you death will die before you. All those people that wished Zik death died before him. That was what I learnt from Zik. On the 7th of March, I will be 79. My father died at 96, so we have longevity in my family,” Pete Edoche said.