Contrary to rumours that made the rounds during the week, that popular actor and veteran broadcaster, Pete Edochie has passed on, the actor is hale and hearty.

Edochie, was rumoured to have kicked the bucket during the week, a situation which threw the movie industry into a momentary shock again after the industry is yet to recover from the one it sustained recently, resulting from the death of veteran actor, Sam Loco-Efe.

Actor Ofiafuluagu Mbaka, chairman, Actors Guild of Nigeria(AGN) Enugu State chapter, who dismissed the rumour, when contacted on telephone by WG said, the veteran actor is hale and hearty.

“I just spoke with him on telephone now. If he is dead, I should have been contacted before now. He's alive and not dead. He travelled to the north to promote his new movie. I also spoke with his Personal Assistant who confirmed to me that a lot of people have called him on telephone to make inquires in respect of the rumour. Segun Arinze called me earlier and I told him that the man is still alive.” Mbaka cleared the air.

A devout Catholic, Edochie is considered one of Africa's most talented actors, having starred in thousands of movies. Although a seasoned administrator and broadcaster, he came into prominence in the 1980s when he played the lead role of Okonkwo in an NTA adaptation of Chinua Achebe's all time best selling novel, “Things Fall Apart.”

He has two sons that have taken to his acting traits; Linc and Yul Edochie.