Handan Kazanci
March 08, 2021•Update: March 09, 2021
ISTANBUL
Turkish television, theater, and movie actor Rasim Oztekin died on Monday at age 62.
Oztekin passed away at an Istanbul hospital following a heart attack on Sunday, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced on Twitter.
“He was a family member in every home with a television,” added Koca.
Oztekin had a history of heart problems, and in 2018 his pacemaker was replaced, according to local media.
Born in Istanbul in 1959, Oztekin was known especially for his work with veteran theater actor Ferhan Sensoy. He played in scores of films, plays, and TV series.
In 2016, Sensoy handed over to Oztekin a symbolic award for traditional Turkish theater titled Hasan Efendi Turban, named after a pioneering comedian.
Citing his health problems, in 2020 Oztekin passed the award onto fellow thespian Sevket Coruh.
On Monday, Turkish social media users went online to commemorate the veteran actor.
Most shared photos or video clips of Oztekin’s performances.
On Instagram, prominent comedian Cem Yilmaz posted a photo with Oztekin from a movie set, lauding their “beautiful days” working together.
Turkish politicians also took social media to grieve over the loss of the prominent actor.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan extended his “condolences to his family, all his admirers, and to our artistic community.”
“I deeply regret the death of Rasim Oztekin, one of our country's great performers,” he wrote, sharing a photo of Oztekin wearing the turban of Hasan Efendi.
Other political figures who offered condolences over Oztekin’s loss include Vice President Fuat Oktay, Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, IYI (Good) Party leader Meral Aksener, and Felicity (Saadet) Party head Temel Karamollaoglu.
