Veteran Comedian, baba Sala dead, aged 82

Veteran Comedian, Moses Olaiya, popularly referred to as baba Sala is dead.

Baba Sala died at the age of 82.

Popular comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka, broke the unhappy news Tuesday night; “We lost him. What a great loss. an icon is gone”, he wrote on his Instagram page.

The late comedian, who was in limelight for many years, had solicited for funds to further his treatment.

Baba Sala, disclosed his sickness at a briefing held on his biography due for presentation on December 4, where he looked frail and spoke with difficulty.

“I need help. Nigerians ought to help me. i’m not dead yet, they must not let me die suffering”, he said.

Baba Sala’s first son, Reverend Dele Adejumo, had said the octogenarian wasn’t suffering from old age but lack of funds for medical treatment, adding that his investments had all been destroyed by poor management.

Adejumo said, “He has investments but they have all been wrecked by mismanagement. He also had a three-storey building in Mushin, Lagos that he had to sell to offset debt incurred when his work, Orun Mooru, was pirated.

“We still have some of his recorded works not in public yet however machines that will be used to transform them to an acceptable format don’t seem to be easily available. we don’t have the kind of cash they’re charging us.

“We are told that baba desires a lot of cash for medical treatment abroad. he’s suffering from a stroke and other ailments.

“There are many people of his age who don’t seem to be like this. we are trying our best as family members. we take him to the teaching hospital weekly however he needs correct medical attention.”

Significantly, baba Sala started his career in show business as a highlife musician, fronting in 1964 a group referred to as the Federal Rhythm Dandies where he tutored and guided the jùjú music maestro King Sunny ade who was his lead guitar player.