Seasoned comedian, Moses Adejumo, popularly known as Baba Sala, has died at the age of 82.
Baba Sala died in Ilesa on Sunday evening and his body was deposited at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex Annex in Ilesa ( Wesley Guild Hospital).
His media assistant, Mr Isaac Hastrup, confirmed the death of the popular comedian to our correspondent on the telephone on Monday morning.
Hastrup said, “Baba has died. He died some minutes to 10pm on Sunday night. His remains had been to the morgue. He died of old age related sickness.
“He came to church two Sundays ago and he was the one that said the benediction. Baba has gone to be with the Lord and he will be missed by many people including his fans.”
Baba Sala was rumoured to have died around November 2017 and the news went viral but his son, Emmanuel debunked the news that time.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday, expressed profound sadness over the death of the icon.
Describing Baba Sala as an incomparable Thespian and a trail blazer, Mohammed noted that the comedian, along with his contemporaries, laid the foundation for the theatre and comedy that have now taken Nigeria’s creative industry by storm.
The minister said, ‘’Baba Sala’s sacrifices, contribution and commitment played a great role in launching an industry that is now a huge employer of labour and a significant contributor to the nation’s economy. Through it all, he lived a life of honesty and service that qualified him as a great role model.’’
Mohammed condoled with the family of the late comedian and prayed that God will grant repose to his soul and also grant his family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.