The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kanran

  • Yemi Remi clears air on late Kanran

    Yemi Remi clears air on late Kanran

    Actor Yemi Remi has alleged that his late younger brother, veteran actor Chief Kanran, misrepresented his personal challenges to the public in a bid to seek financial assistance.

    Remi made the claim during an interview with Agbaletu TV, where he addressed several controversies that trailed the actor before his death.

    He said Kanran falsely reported sensitive issues, including claims about his wife’s death, a burnt car, his house, and even his age.

    “There was a time a woman called me to mourn my younger brother’s wife’s death and I told her I didn’t know anything about it,” he said. “She said he sent her an obituary, but I told her it was a lie.”

    Read Also: UK–Nigeria Mission eyes $32m market gap

    Remi added that Kanran had four children, each from a different woman, but that three died after he had publicly declared them dead earlier.

    “As for the house he claimed got burnt, it never happened,” he continued. “There was a plank staircase in front of the building that got burnt, but it didn’t affect his apartment.”

    He also clarified the actor’s age, saying Kanran often exaggerated it.

    “He told some people he was 75,” Remi said. “If that was true, I would be 89, because I have two younger ones after him. I will be 70 next year. He was 62 — he was born in 1963.”

  • TAMPAN mourns actor, Kanran

    TAMPAN mourns actor, Kanran

    By Aisha Busari

    The Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN) Canada Chapter has lamented the death of veteran Nollywood actor, Chief Olusegun Akinremi.  Akinremi, popularly known as Chief Kanran, died last week at the age of 70.

    The President of the association, Temidayo Enitan, recalled that Akinremi, who was a household name in the Yoruba film industry, honoured the chapter at the 2019 inauguration of their body’s new executive.

    Enitan explained that at the event, the deceased displayed energy, warmth, humility and left lasting memories for the chapter to remember for a long time to come.

    According to him, the chapter extended its deepest condolences on the passing of the renowned actor who he said was more than an actor.

    “On behalf of the executive and entire members of TAMPAN Canada Chapter, we extend our deepest condolences on the passing of our beloved veteran Nollywood actor, Chief Olusegun Akinremi (popularly known as Kanran),” he stressed, adding: “He was a good, positive, and energetic man who always preached peace and gave life to traditional and wealthy characters on screen.”

    Enitan described Akinremi as a cultural icon who dedicated his career to showcasing Yoruba tradition and values, noting that ‘during his lifetime, he honoured us with his presence at the inauguration of TAMPAN Canada executive in November 2019.’

    READ ALSO: Fed Govt: renewable energy open to local, foreign investors

    Deputy President, Otunba Kemi Agbeke, remembered him as a jovial and passionate actor who portrayed Yoruba culture with his iconic royal roles.

    Agbeke described the late actor as a man of the people who used his art to promote Yoruba heritage, just as the association’s Publicity Secretary, Otunba Ayo Komolafe also said of the deceased: “Chief Kanran’s love for and promotion of Yoruba culture is unmatched. His distinctive style and sharp humour will be sorely missed.

    “We pray that Almighty God grants his family, colleagues, and the Nollywood industry the strength to bear this loss.  May his soul rest in perfect peace,” the Acting Secretary/Financial Secretary, Adejoke Adesokan stated in a statement.

  • Owolabi Salis expresses shock over Chief Kanran’s death

    Owolabi Salis expresses shock over Chief Kanran’s death

    United States-based lawyer, Owolabi Salis, has expressed shock and disbelief over the passing of Nollywood veteran, Kehinde Olusegun Akinremi aka Chief Kanran.

    In a brief chat, Salis narrated a pathetic account of his last minute effort to save the life of the actor whose demise was announced only a few days ago.

    Narrating his last moment encounter with the deceased actor, Salis recalled how Chief Kanran had reached out to him for support to which he did at two different times.

    “On July 27, he sent two voice notes that he was severely plagued by appendicitis,which had subjected him to intensely unbearable pains, and would therefore need to under-go an urgent medical operation that would cost N700,000 and that he needed N350,000 to balance the hospital bill.

    Read Also: Actor Odunlade Adekola buries father in Ekiti

    “On the same July 27, I immediately dispatched a sum of N350,000 to him as requested. On July 28, he sent a voice note of appreciation thanking me for my timely kind assistance. On August 1, he sent another voice note of appreciation.”

    Salis further said the announcement of the sudden death of Chief Kanran got him completely shattered in an inexpressible shock from which he is yet to recover.

    “On learning about the sad news of his death, I had promptly dispatched a sum of money, on August 18 as my token assistance for his burial,” Salis said.

    He called on Nollywood and the government including well meaning Nigerians, corporate bodies and notable institutions across the nation, to make fervent effort to immortalise the theater veteran.

    He described Chief Kanran’s exit not only as the passing of an era but also shocking, lamentable and devastating.

    “Personally for me, Chief Karan captured and hypnotized my imagination, just like the generality of theatre buffs all over – with his amazing skills in those good old days,that his plays became an irresistible staple of recreation for me,even decades after my sojourn in the U.S. till this very moment,” he said.