Nigeria's Pete Edochie Dead?

Contrary to rumours last week that popular Nollywood actor and veteran broadcaster Pete Edochie had died, the actor is hale and hearty, Nigeria�s Weekend Groove (WG) reported. Edochie was rumoured to have passed away during the week, a situation which threw the movie industry into a momentary shock, as it is yet to recover from the one it sustained recently due to the death of veteran actor Sam Loco-Efe. Actor Ofiafuluagu Mbaka, chairman, Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) Enugu State chapter, who dismissed the rumour when contacted on telephone by WG, said the veteran actor was hale and hearty. �I just spoke with him on telephone now. If he is dead, I should have been contacted before now. He�s alive and not dead. He travelled to the north to promote his new movie. I also spoke with his personal assistant who confirmed to me that a lot of people have called him on telephone to make inquires in respect of the rumour. Segun Arinze called me earlier and I told him that the man is still alive,� Mbaka cleared the air. A devout Catholic, Edochie is considered one of Africa�s most talented actors, having starred in thousands of movies. Although a seasoned administrator and broadcaster, he came into prominence in the 1980s when he played the lead role of Okonkwo in an NTA adaptation of Chinua Achebe�s all time bestselling novel, �Things Fall Apart.� He has two sons who inherited his acting skills; Linc and Yul Edochie.