Veteran Nollywood actor Pete Edochie has once again dismissed reports claiming he had passed away, calling the rumours both false and repetitive.
The 78-year-old spoke out after online chatter suggested he was rushed to the hospital and had died, with some posts even falsely attributing confirmation to his son, Uche Edochie, on social media.
In a phone interview with Vanguard, Edochie debunked the claims, assuring fans that he is in good health.
“I’m alive and will die when my maker calls me home,” he stated.
The actor noted that false death reports have dogged him for years, forcing him to repeatedly clarify his wellbeing.
“I have been killed about seven times. There was a time they said I travelled abroad and died there. 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.
“However, there was something late Nnamdi Azikwe taught 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,” he added.
Edochie, widely known for his iconic portrayal of Ebubedike in Nollywood classics, has remained a prominent figure in the industry for decades. His contributions have earned him prestigious honours, including the Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) and the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) Industry Merit Award.
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The spread of fake celebrity death reports has become increasingly common on Nigerian social media, often gaining traction before any verification. Single posts can generate hundreds of reactions—ranging from tributes to corrections—amplifying the rumours across timelines.
Over the years, other Nigerian icons such as actor Olu Jacobs and music legend King Sunny Ade have faced similar hoaxes. Sunny Ade once dismissed such claims, saying, “I don’t know where the story is coming from or who could have thought of going to town with such rumours. Don’t mind them. But they can’t kill me. God will not allow anything to happen to me. I performed at Tunji Braithwaite’s burial on Saturday night and I wasn’t ill. I am just coming from Oba Awujale’s palace in Ijebu Ode as you are talking to me. I am very healthy.”
These incidents highlight the persistence of false death rumours targeting public figures in Nigeria, with social media often acting as the fastest—and least accurate—channel of dissemination.