Veteran actress, Elizabeth Evoeme, who played Ovularia, the wife of Chief Zebrudaya Okoroigwe Nawogbo alias 4:30 (Chika Okpala), in the 1980s TV sitcom ‘The New Masquerade’, is dead.

The actress died at the age of 81 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital. She was born on December 1, 1942.

Her death was confirmed on Tuesday in a social media post by a family member, who stated that she died surrounded by loved ones.

“Friends, fans, colleagues, the family of the legendary actress, Elizabeth Lizzy ‘Ovularia’ Evoeme, would like to notify the public, all those who loved her and her work in ‘The new Masquerade’, of her passing,” the post said.

“Elizabeth ‘Ovularia’ Evoeme will be dearly missed and was extremely loved by her family and also by you, her fans.

“We thank you all for your support and for respecting our privacy at this time. God bless you all and may our dear Elizabeth ‘Ovularia’ Evoeme rest in perfect peace, now and always,” it said.

Ovularia’s London-based daughter, Justina Ngozi Evoeme, described her mother’s death as painful and shocking, stating, “I need to get my head around what has happened.”

Meanwhile, Nollywood veterans like Jide Kosoko, Adebayo Salami (Oga Bello), and others in the industry have paid glowing tributes to the late actress, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Kosoko said the late Ovularia was a disciplined woman who had contributed immensely to the growth of the entertainment industry.

“We have lost another gem though at a ripe age. I pray the almighty God grant her soul a peaceful rest,” Kosoko said.

“We worked together on ‘The New Masquerade’. I was a guest artiste at that time, she was just fantastic. May her soul rest in peace and may God continue to keep us that are still alive.

“Her virtue of discipline that has to do with keeping to call time, submitting to the directors’ wish at all time and other professional ethics she stood for, should be emulated by all other actors,” he said.

On his part, Salami described the death of the actress as shocking.

“We are all getting older but no one wants to die. We are going to miss her but her legacies still remain with us. We love her but God loves her most,” he said.

In 2019, rumours had surfaced that Ovularia was dead, but she and others around her dispelled the rumours.