VETERAN comedian, the legendary Habeeb Khan, passed away yesterday morning at his Friendship, East Bank Demerara home at the age of 77.

This publication visited his relatives’ home in the same village to find family members deeply mourning his death. His son, Hamid Khan, told this publication that he was heading to work when he got a call that his father had

died. Hamid said he did not believe, but on passing by his father’s home to verify the news, he saw a hearse removing the body.

“When I saw the body being removed, I started to feel weak. My dad was such a good and loving person; he was my life, and I cannot believe he is gone,” Hamid sobbed.

Born June 16, 1936, Habeed is said to have fathered 16 children from four different mothers. His second ‘child-mother’, Ms. Lynette Ferouz, who bore him 10 children, described Habeeb as a very easygoing and quiet person.

His last ‘child-mother’, Ms Doris Sukhwa, said they had been together for some 20 years. She has just one child with him. She said when she went to visit him yesterday morning, `he was lying in bed and not breathing.

“On his birthday that gone, he told me that this will be his last birthday with me. Last night (Monday, June 21) we talk to each other up to 9 o’clock, but in the morning when I went to visit him, I saw him lying on his bed with one foot up and the other down; his mouth was open and he was not breathing, so I know he had died because he been sick for five years now; he had bronchial pneumonia. He was a very nice, loving and caring person,” Ms Doris said.

Habeeb Khan’s first wife was Myrtle Daniel, with whom he fathered one child. His third ‘child-mother’, whose name we did not learn, bore him four children.

Habeeb Khan had been universally known for his comedy shows. He was born and raised in Kitty, Georgetown, before he relocated to Werk-en-Rust and subsequently to Friendship, East Bank Demerara.

Known mostly for his television advertisements and stage shows in Guyana, Habeeb had performed in various shows

throughout the Caribbean and North America, until he became the most popular comedian.

One of his most aired television ads features “Elegance Jewellery and Pawnshop”.

A post-mortem would be performed on Habeeb’s body to confirm the cause of his death.

(By Asif Hakim)