Veteran actor Lari Williams will be buried on April 14 in his hometown Yala Nkum in Ikom Local Government Area of Cross River State, his son Femi Williams announced on Thursday.
In a statement by Mr Williams, the service of songs would be organised for the deceased on April 11 in Lagos and another on April 13 in his hometown, before he would be laid to rest on April 14.
Williams said that the family decided to begin the celebration in Lagos, where his father spent most of his life.
According to him, the service of songs will take place in Trinity House, Zion Centre, Victoria Island, the church his father attended during his lifetime.
“My father impacted on the lives of many young artistes through training and mentorship in the profession. He was quite a determined perfectionist who never compromised the profession, he lived and died loving the theatre instead of financial gains. My dad was a quite determined man who took interest in training young people, making them repeat their lines over and over again.
Even when he was given a short notice to go and perform on stage, he would gather his troupe, train the dancers and make them perform their best,” he said.
He noted that late Williams, who was the only son out of three children, was not particular about financial rewards but only wanted to deliver.
“He was a great man that spent all his life on stage, acting, singing and dancing. He will be remembered without limit,” he said.
During his lifetime, Lari earned a prestigious national honour; Member of the Order of the Federal Republic in 2008.
The deceased was the inaugural president of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN) and had a career that spanned over five decades.
