Adenrele Olufemi Edun is one celebrity with a wild personality and a VJ who has earned a reputation for being really good at what he does. In this interview with Doyin Adeoye, he talks about his style, his last moments with artiste, Goldie, the gay allegations and controversies, among other things.
What exactly was your relationship with Goldie?
Susan Olubimpe Harvey aka Goldie and I were best of friends and whilst in death, we still remain best of friends. I met her in 2006 around the time I featured in Dbanj’s ‘Why me’ video which many artistes loved and also wanted me to be in their video. So I received a call from her and when we met at her house, then she told me she wanted me to be in her video. She gave me the song to go and listen to, but funny enough, I didn’t even listen to the song, but I told her I liked it. I remember she offered to pay me N50, 000, which was a really good deal back then, but I featured in the video without collecting any money from her and that was how we struck our friendship and became very good friends.
What are your memories of her?
We shared a lot of memories together that was so much fun. Since Goldie had been in the industry, there was none of her videos that I wasn’t a part of. We were so close that we practically knew everything about each other. We had the same body proportion, despite her womanly curves. We could both fit perfectly into each other’s outfit especially when I wanted to get something for or her or vice versa. We used the same shoe size, we loved the same taste of perfume and music and we were just so really close.
I remember once when I had typhoid and malaria and Goldie’s last performance was at the Ember Creek. She was to perform with a life band, something she had never done before and that worried her. Artistes like MI, Sasha, Nneka and others had performed and she was the last person to perform. I introduced her to the stage and despite how sick I was, we danced so hard at the show that night and it was really fun.
Can you share your last moments with her?
I was with her when she came back from the Grammies and I wouldn’t say I watched her die, but rather, I saw her die. I was at the hospital and I saw as she was taken to the morgue and I can say whilst in death, we still had the connection.
News had it that you said Goldie died in your arms…
I guess I was misquoted because I didn’t say anything of such. What happened was that I was there when she got back and she just started complaining of headache that came from nowhere. She started crying and gasping for breath. So we rushed her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
I couldn’t easily comprehend what happened because she had never been sick and the only thing that ever worried her was flu and cough. But I guess people wanted answers at the time and because I couldn’t talk then, they started making generalisations. It was a crazy period for me and I also went through a lot after her death.
Some also say you introduced her to drugs.
What’s your take on that?
Goldie and I never did drugs. The only thing we ever took was white wine, which wouldn’t even exceed one glass. She loved white wine and I started drinking it because of her. There was never a time that drug was involved between us and I guess people just misunderstood what they saw, because they found it hard to see two friends in the same industry who do not see themselves as competitors or rivals, but rather looking out for the best interest in the next person. And such was the world of Goldie and I.
You had issues with her family over her death…
Well, I believe when you are friends with someone and something like this happens, the family would want to know what actually happened and the only person to give the answers would be the closest friend.
Fortunately for me, the day Goldie came back, her younger brother was at my house, he had been around two days before then. Goldie never told me she was coming back that day, as she wanted to surprise me. So I’m grateful her brother was around. But as Yoruba, such scenario is not farfetched and more so, the family needed answers and felt there were mysteries involved. So I was in the middle of it all and there was nothing I could do, than to live through it.
You were supposed to start a reality show together…
Yes and it had even started airing. Actually I was approached to a do a reality show, where I would be followed for a couple of weeks and it would be documented. So I decided to do it with her because it was at the point when she came back from Big Brother Africa (BBA) and things weren’t going on too well for her. Many Nigerians judged her from what they saw on BBA, so I felt it was a way to break the jinx and it was exciting.
What was the craziest thing you’ve ever done on the red carpet?
I remember way back that there was a particular lady that I asked if she had underwear on and she said no. I asked her if I could see and she said yes. So I open her blouse and peeped through, it was really funny. Another presenter also tried the prank and he got slapped, so then I realised I could probably get away with anything.
Also there was a moment on red carpet when I threatened Senator Remi Tinubu that if she didn’t grant an interview, I would put my leg out and she would fall flat on her face. I could have gotten slapped or worse because it was risky to have said that, but she saw the humour in it.
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