As the family of the late legendary actor Jamie Bartlett, prepares to give him a memorable send-off, his funeral and memorial service details have been announced.
Read More: Jamie Bartlett's Partner Breaks Her Silence
According to a statement released by TV presenter Zola Hashatsi via his Instagram account. Jamie will be laid to rest in an intimate funeral only to be attended by family members and close friends.
His memorial service will take place at Zone 6 The Venue, in Soweto. "Hashatsi Productions alongside Jamie’s management would like to publicly confirm the news of his passing. He took his last breath on Monday afternoon the 23rd of May 2022. He suffered cardiac arrest while in his sleep. He will artistically be dearly missed and the family humbly asks you to give them space in this time of mourning. His memorial service will be held at Zone 6 The Venue as he wished. More details to follow.
Jamie loved and lived for the people and people loved and lived to see his art. The Funeral will be held in a private ceremony in Cape Town with his Family and close Friends. The Family would like to thank you all for the words of encouragement, thoughts, prayers, flowers, presence and the love you showed and showered Jamie with throughout his life and career," reads the statement.
The actor died on Monday afternoon while he was sleeping. Speaking to Jacaranda FM, his partner Rosa Onious said he had taken an afternoon nap but didn't wake up after around 17:00pm when she tried to wake him.
"I tried to wake him up. He was lying there on the couch. I was like 'Jamie, Jamie wake up' and he was not responding, and I started shaking and smacking him in the face saying 'you need to wake up'.
It appeared Jamie had already died when the ambulance arrived. "My mom tried to do CPR on him as well and we called an ambulance, paramedics tried to resuscitate him but he was already gone."
Jamie was a force to be reckoned with in the industry and his untimely passing is a major loss to the Arts. Tributes are continuously pouring in on social media. Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, veteran actress Connie Chiume said she is still devastated by the news.
“I'm still shivering after the news that I got last night because I spoke to Jamie on Friday asking him if he could join me on my birthday in two weeks,” she said.
“I wanted him to be on the poster with me, he was so excited. He even sent me three pictures instantly. So you can imagine how shocked I was when I got the news yesterday.
The actor paid tribute to Jamie, “It’s a big loss to the South African industry, to the continent, and I dare say the world, because he was one of the talents in the country.”
As she reflected on her first encounter with Jamie, she described him as very professional. “The first time I worked with him was in ‘Soul City’, years ago, that's when I realised he was very professional.
“When I met him again in ‘Rhythm City’, it was such a pleasure to once more see him and share his experiences and my experiences with other actors in ‘Rhythm City’.
“The way he portrayed (David) Genaro is almost how Jamie was – like I said, he was a very lively person … he didn’t lack words or accents that will just surprise you. He was that person (actor) who will take it further than what the director has directed him to do," she said.
Image Cred: Instagram