Madam Elizabeth Evoeme, fondly known as Ovularia from the iconic 80s TV sitcom ‘The New Masquerade’, has passed away at the age of 81.
Born on December 1, 1942, Ovularia’s demise was confirmed by a family member who stated that she died surrounded by loved ones.
In a statement released by the Evoeme Emekalam family, they expressed gratitude to fans, friends, and colleagues for their support and requested privacy during this time of grief.
“Friends, fans, colleagues, the family of the legendary actress, Elizabeth Lizzy ‘Ovularia’ Evoeme, would like to notify the public, all those who loved her and her work in ‘The new Masquerade,’ of her passing.
“Elizabeth ‘Ovularia’ Evoeme will be dearly missed and was extremely loved by her family and also by you, her fans.
“We thank you all for your support and for respecting our privacy at this time. God bless you all and may our dear Elizabeth ‘Ovularia’ Evoeme rest in perfect peace, now and always.”
Ovularia’s daughter, Justina Ngozi Evoeme, based in London, described her mother’s death as painful and shocking, stating, “I need to get my head around what has happened.”
The news comes exactly four and a half years after Ovularia was rumored to have passed away on November 5, 2019. At that time, a Twitter post by Churchill Ebhodaghe sparked speculations about her death, which she later dismissed as false.
Responding to the rumors in 2019, Ovularia clarified that she was not seriously ill and condemned those behind the false reports, stating that they deserved punishment.
Chika Okpala, known for his role as Chief Zebrudaya Okoroigwe Nwaogbe in ‘The New Masquerade,l’, also debunked the rumors then, affirming Ovularia’s well-being.
Meanwhile, a number of Nollywood veterans have publicly mourned Ovularia.
Jide Kosoko said: “We lost another gem though at a ripe age. I pray the almighty God grants her soul a peaceful rest. We worked together on ‘The New Masquerade.’ I was a guest artiste at the time. She was just fantastic. May her soul rest in peace and may God continue to keep us that are still alive. Her virtue of discipline that has to do with keeping to call time, submitting to the directors’ wish at all time and other professional ethics she stood for, should be emulated by all other actors.”
Adebayo Salami, popularly known as “Oga Bello,” described the death of the actress as shocking.
He said, “We are all getting older but no one wants to die. We are going to miss her but her legacies still remain with us. We love her but God loves her most.”
Actor Fred Amata also expressed shock over the death of the actress.
