Veteran actor Allen Booi died on the day he was supposed to go to Cape Town to start shooting for a role.
He died on Monday morning at his Florida home.
“The agent had called to say everything was arranged and he would come to pick him up on Monday. Even though he wasn’t acting a lot, there were still people who wanted to cast him,” said his daughter, Lindiwe Booi.
Booi’s decades-long career made him a popular face on SABC television series and soapies including Tsha Tsha, After Nine, Ubambo Lwami, Going Up, Mponeng, Zero Tolerance, 90 Plein Street, Zabalaza and Soul City among many others. He also starred alongside Celeste Ntuli in the 2018 comedy Looking For Love.
The 77-year-old actor became ill last year and could not quite get back to his old self after what Lindiwe believes was a mild heart attack. The last four months had taken a toll on Booi, who had before the lockdown been taking Lindiwe’s children to school and living with them with his wife, Cathy.
“With the lockdown, the loss of that routine and doing things on a daily basis took a toll on him. I work in a hospital and my dad was basically in the house at all times,” said Lindiwe.
She said the family had chosen to care for him at home as he deteriorated rather than have him die alone in a hospital with the Covid-19 pressure at medical institutions.
“He was strong until his last breath. We thought he would pull through until after the lockdown but he had chronic heart failure.”
Lindiwe said the family had anticipated the outcome but it was never something they were prepared for.
“You can never prepare for the death of a parent. We have been overwhelmed by how much South Africa loved him. We have been meeting old friends whom he had lost contact with and remember him as an incredible man. He was a devout Catholic who was a fantastic dad. He loved people so much and they loved him,” she said.
The mother of two said her father was supportive of his children and made sure they made a name for themselves in the world.
“He would always tell us this (acting) was just a job, it was easy for him and he could make enough money to support us. But he said none of us would be getting into that business. He wanted us to go and hustle and have our own legacies.”
Lindiwe described her father as insightful and inspiring. “He was the epitome of what a human being should be. He was an incredible actor, something I am now waking up to because to us he was dad.”