Veteran Yoruba actor Yinka Quadri has addressed the emotional toll that false rumors about his death had on his family.
In June, news of his alleged passing went viral, causing widespread concern among fans and loved ones. Quadri revealed that the rumors deeply affected his family, as they were inundated with calls and messages from worried well-wishers. He expressed gratitude for the outpouring of love while urging people to verify information before spreading it.
The actor confirmed that he was “alive and well” on social media, dispelling the rumor.
In a recent interview on Oyinmomo TV, the 65-year-old expressed disappointment with the individuals who spread the false news.
Quadri revealed that his children, who were overseas at the time, became worried when they heard about the rumoured death.
He said they started calling him frequently to confirm the news, which caused unnecessary “stress and anxiety” for the family.
“If it happened to someone who just came into the industry, the person will likely experience a setback. Or the person would leave the industry. But because this profession is inborn. That is not the first time. We have heard so many things in the past,” he said.
“Is it not because of social media that it is now being escalated? When I saw it I said ‘Weldone, you content creators’. Although when I saw it it was not as if I was happy. Just like the words of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu saying he stays off social media.
“No one would be happy whenever people spread rumours about them. Most especially, rumoured death. You will recall that I said I will not curse the person, but I leave him or her to God’s judgment.
“If the person thinks it is by spoiling another person’s name or causing sadness in another person’s family is an opportunity to attain success… because it got to a stage that it started to pain me.
“It got to a stage where everybody became troubled. They now started calling in the morning, put a call through in the afternoon, and call again in the evening to confirm.
“Despite the fact that my children are overseas and we have constant communication weekly or every three days, when they informed them they were like ‘I still spoke to Daddy last week’. Then they start calling.
“And I now said, the person that did this will get the right reward from God. Because it is not something good. My head does not pray for the person. Why should you wish me death? I wanted to keep quiet. Some people even thought I created the story myself. I asked if they thought I was looking for fame or name.”