Ace Nollywood Actor, Sam Loco Efe Is Dead

Prominent Nigerian comedian and Nollywood actor, Sam Loco Efe is dead.

He died this morning at the age of 66, while on location for a new movie in Imo State, Huhuonline.com learnt.

The ace actor who had featured in several movies and had become a household name in the country, died just few weeks after the country's entertainment sector mourned the death of another actor, Asley Nwosu.

After the death of Nwosu, the spiritual head of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, had prayed for the stakeholders in the sector in order to avert further deaths in the industry.

The death of Sam Loco, no doubt, is a shock to members of the industry. The Edo-born thespian who started drinking and smoking on October 1st 1960, finally quit smoking and drinking in 2009, after 49 years of indulging in the twin acts.

He was an apostle of Benson & Hedges cigarette and all brands of alcoholic beverages (unrefrigerated drinks) until he collapsed one morning while attempting to join a car that will take him to Obosi in Anambra State for the burial of Ameachi Muonagor's mother.

He was rushed to Enugu University Teaching Hospital, where after being resuscitated, the doctors advised him against the habit of smoking and drinking. And ever since, Sam has turned a new leaf. This is why he looks very healthy these days.

The veteran actor, while alive, understood some Nigerian languages and spoke them fluently. 'I seem to have a knack for languages. I had the interest to learn the languages as well. There is no language that is not important. I can speak Hausa 40 per cent; Igbo and Yoruba, 100 per cent. Of course, I can speak Benin language 100 per cent,' he said in an interview sometime ago.

He also said he had been on the stage for about 47 years while he had spent 35 years in the movies.

'Theatre was an 'accidental discharge.' When I was in primary school in those days, I was a one-man riot squad. I started being an MC par excellence right from standard six. I was able to grasp the use of English language properly right from standard one. I never confused my tenses. I began to see myself as somebody who could make people happy.

'Along the line, I started performing in staff clubs. Remember that we had white masters then. I did one performance, and I thought I did badly. But the accolade that accompanied that performance was great. I said to myself, 'Men, you are too much!'

'I wanted to be a political scientist. That was when I got into college anyway. I was very good at European history, Law was not common as it is now. All mothers all wanted to be called Mama Lawyer. I wanted to go into political science or engineering.

Unfortunately, he said he was discouraged because he was not good at figures and arithmetic.

He had six children, but refused to marry after the death of his wife.

He was already preparing to quit active acting and trying to put his hands into farming.