Beloved Turkish actor Rasim Öztekin dies at 62
ISTANBUL
Rasim Öztekin, a beloved Turkish television, theater and movie actor, passed away on March 8 at the age of 62.
Öztekin died at an Istanbul hospital following a heart attack on March 7, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca announced on Twitter.
“He was a family member in every home with a television,” Koca said.
According to local media, Öztekin had a history of heart problems, and in 2018 his pacemaker was replaced.
Born in 1959 in Istanbul, Öztekin was known especially for his works with veteran theater actor Ferhan Şensoy. He played in scores of films, plays and TV series during his career.
In 2016, Şensoy handed over to Öztekin a symbolic award for traditional Turkish theater titled “Hasan Efendi Turban,” named after a pioneering comedian. Citing his health problems, Öztekin passed the award onto fellow thespian Şevket Çoruh in 2020.
Following the actor’s demise, people went online to commemorate the actor, sharing his photos and video clips of his performances on their social media accounts.
Several Turkish politicians also came forward to offer their condolences by sharing messages on social media.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan extended his “condolences to his family, to 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 on the loss of Öztekin include Vice President Fuat Oktay, Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, İYİ (Good) Party leader Meral Akşener, and Felicity (Saadet) Party head Temel Karamollaoğlu.
