Rachel Bakam | Image: Instagram/rachelbakam
Rachel Bakam, a Nigerian actress and television presenter, has died. She was 38 years old.
Bakam died at a private hospital in Abuja on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, after a brief illness. Her brother, Armstrong Bakam, revealed that Rachel died at 12 pm on Tuesday afternoon with her mother by her bedside.
“She had anaemia; so, she was taken to the hospital on Friday and she died this afternoon at about 12pm. I was not with her when she died, but her mother was by her side. Before Friday, she fell ill and was admitted for some days but she was discharged and taken home. However, she was returned to the hospital on Friday,” Armstrong told The PUNCH in a chat.
He added: “We will really miss her because her death is a shocking and devastating news to the family. In fact, the whole family is actually troubled and quite a number of people are yet to believe that it is actually true.”
Audu Maikori, the founder of Chocolate City, described the late actress as an inspiring woman.
“Rachel was a very inspiring woman, sister and mother- always had a smile, always positive and very very clear about her goals. I met her probably 17 years ago in Kaduna through a mutual friend and later on with her then husband Israel Edjeren,” he wrote.
“More recently, we were in the same Kaduna Creative group where we mentor, support and share opportunities for empowerment – and she was always very active , passionate about any project concerning Southern Kaduna and Kaduna state as a whole- but with a keen focus on helping the less privileged and the displaced refugees across the country.
“The lady was always so busy I even used to wonder when she ever got to rest with her packed schedule !
There have ben quite a few deaths recently, but this one hit me hard!!! It hit us all very very hard cos we lost a true gem, the space she occupied , not many can fill today because she had a special flair about what she did and that flair was driven by her passion for her people. She will be dearly missed by us all.”
Rachel Bakam was born and brought up in Kaduna State where she had her primary, secondary, and tertiary education. She studied English and theatre arts at Ahmadu Bello University and digital filmmaking at New York Film Academy.
Until her death, she was the CEO and Managing Director of Rayzeds Media Ltd, Founder & President of the Nigerian Water Ski And Wakeboard Federation (NWWF) and media consultant for the Performing Musician Employers Association (PMAN) & African Fashion Reception Paris.
