‘New Masquerade’ has not lost its ‘Natty’

Romanus Uchenna Amuta — the actor who played Natty in the New masquerade, one of the most popular soaps of the 80s — has not died, as has been widely reported in the last 24 hours.

Natty, a household name during the New Masquerade fame, had been suffering from partial paralysis.

Although he was rumoured to have died on Saturday, his first son, Chukwuma Amuta, a medical doctor, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday that his dad is still alive.

“I am surprised to hear such a fallacious rumour. It is true that my dad had stroke some five years ago, that is 2009. Presently, he is clinically stable and he is recovering well,” he said.

“That was why I was very surprised when I heard about such information being spread in the media. The report saying that he is dead obviously makes every other thing false. He’s very much alive.

“I am a medical doctor; and by the grace of God, I take care of my dad to the best of my ability; so, that is obviously false. He’s improving gradually; every day, you see improvement… Natty is still alive. He’s doing well.”

In an interview with The Punch last year, Natty had lamented his deteriorating health and his life of penury.

He called on the government for help, saying his friends had turned their back on him.

“If government does not come to help me now, then I will die very soon,” Romanus had said back then, February 2013.

Natty was first bedridden in 2006, after suffering a stroke. He has never quite recuperated from it, although in 2010, he managed to recover just enough strength to be able to limp.