It was a hot, Sunday afternoon when the BBM
request beeped on my phone. I was totally engaged
with the English Premiership football match showing
on my TV. Not in the mood for any chit-chat.
Checking out the identity of the sender showed me
a ‘ Goldie Harvey’ and my first impulse was I was
face-to-face with another impersonator trying to
take the place of one of Nigeria’s many
hardworking entertainment celebrities. My curiosity
got the better of me and I confirmed the request
consciously granting the ‘impostor’ some measure
of access into my life.I figured he\she will delete the
connection in due course like others usually do. As
at then, Goldie and I had never actually met in the
true sense of the word. We weren’t friends. Neither
were we enemies. We had bumped into one
another a couple of times at events and that was it.
Nevertheless, I was still surprised as to how the
‘impostor’ got my PIN.
Still caught in the reverie of the football match, my
phone buzzed few minutes later and it was
celebrated comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka. He wanted
to introduce Goldie to me (like I didn’t know her)
and informed me of her desire to work with my PR
firm, Bigsam Media. He it was who had passed my
PIN to her. Goldie herself requested my number and
later called.
God, that voice on the phone! It wasn’t sweet or
golden but plain…. and heavy laden with sadness.
‘I’m tired,’ she said to me like we had known for
years. ‘I’ve worked with many people, spent a lot of
money but not gotten much in return’.
She wanted to work with us as she had heard so
much about us and was hoping we would stand out
from the myriad of half-baked,briefcase PR firms
(experts) running rings around entertainers and
promising celebrities a dinner date in the White
House ‘if only you can spend good money.’
I listened calmly and gave her an appointment at
Sheraton Hotels, Ikeja but for some reasons I
showed up three hours late. She was
understandably angry and was on the verge on
leaving when I breezed in and apologised. We fixed
another date to meet and finalise details on how we
could work together regarding her blossoming
brand. Sadly, I never made the appointment. Way
before our meeting, Bobby Taylor and Gbenga
Bada, fellow journalist friends had tried all they
could to get me to interview and feature Goldie on
my page while I was still in the employment of The
Sun Newspapers. I just played an unwilling horse all
through.
Looking back now, I realised that like many others, I
didn’t take her serious at all. Many people had
dismissed Goldie from the very beginning of her
career, contending she was all beauty and no talent.
Peeps were quick to condemn her art or lack of it.
Check the popular blogs and see the deluge of
negative comments that follow any post on Goldie
and you’ll get a feel of what I mean.
Despite the ‘pull-her-down’ at all costs syndrome,
Goldie kept pushing the envelope, working and living
her life. If she cared about what people said about
her, she didn’t show it. They would lambast her for
wearing a particular dress and Goldie would
defiantly wear something similar next time. They
said she was everywhere, strutting the red carpets
like a pepper seller but she was undeterred. Goldie
was living her life by her rules and not by what
‘almighty’ commentators said. As if she knew she
won’t be here for a long time.
I was told a popular producer had told her to go sell
her Benz ML before he would sign her on and
produce her song. And that was after months of
keeping her waiting. She didn’t relent but decided to
take her destiny in her own hands and thus
embarked on a journey from one radio station to
another, buying stuffs for the OAPs for her songs to
get airplay.
Goldie eventually teamed up with
Kennis Music, thankfully, Keke
Ogungbe signed her on.
Upon hearing news of her death, I called Denrele,
Baba Keke, KSB but their numbers were switched
off. I called Funke Akindele to get across to
Denrele’s friend hoping to hear that the rumour
wasn’t true. She already did, and was close to tears
on phone. A newspaper editor told me Goldie’s step-
mum already confirmed it. After speaking with
Linda Ikeji who broke the news, I still chose to doubt
it.
I saw a tweet that Goldie was scheduled to perform
at a certain Princeton Hotel in Ikeja and I dashed
out to search for the location in spite of loud
protestations from my wife that it was past 1am.
She must definitely be at Princeton performing and
would be willing to dispel the wicked ‘rumor’ doing
the rounds about her passing.
Sadly, all my efforts proved abortive. Goldie wasn’t
there. She was gone. Gone to be with the saints.
What was I looking for in the dead of night?
What,what,what? All I wanted was just one more
chance to make up for my folly of dismissing her
and not taking her seriously. Suddenly, wonderful
and innovative ideas on how to enhance ‘Brand
Goldie’ are popping up in my brain. I want to work
with her
We won’t always have people around. Why can’t we
celebrate men and women while we have them?
Bickerings, pull-him-down, dismissal and nonchalant
attitudes because we hold the ace should stop. We
won’t always have all the time we want with people
we love and life is too short to harbor hate. My
heart went out to people whose bluff I have called
and those I’m not treating right at present. What if I
don’t see them again? Dear Lord, I need to make up
for past follies. I’m sorry I didn’t take some people
seriously. I need to make some calls and mend
fences right away.
Another lesson from Goldie’s demise: live your life.
Goldie didn’t allow others write her script for her.
She gave life her best. One single after the other,
appearances at several red carpet events, Big
Brother Africa, upcoming reality show etc Goldie
didn’t slow down. She gave life her all like she knew
she won’t live up to thirty. We all don’t have the
promise to live till 80, if you drop dead today, can
you confidently say you gave life your best?
Like the rest of us Goldie wasn’t perfect but didn’t
deserve the way some people tried to pull her
down. She was hustling on the grind of life, trying to
make a name for herself like the rest of us. She
wasn’t perfect just like the rest of us with many
skeletons in our cupboards. Yet, some people were
busy moving from one blog to another knocking her
hustle. Now, that she’s gone are you happy?
Goldie, continue to rest in peace. We all owe death
but so sad that he showed up too early at your
doorstep.
May God comfort your parents, siblings, hubby and
loved ones.
————————-
Samuel Olatunji is a foremost entertainment
journalist; now CEO of Bigsam Media and Editor-in-
Chief of Icampus Newspaper and the
website: www.ientertainmentng.com. He can be
reached via his email: (sirolatunji@yahoo.co.uk)

dailypost.com.ng/2013/02/15/samuel-olatunji-goldie-im-sorry-i-didnt-take-you-seriously/?wt=2

A lot of NLanders also criticized whatever Goldie did ot did not do. This is an opportunity for ya'll to apologize. Who's first?

I was indifferent abt her....bt all I kno is everytime she brings sumtin out,she managed to pull it tru.dats hardwork....RIP Goldie

I also have been feeling somehow ever since I heard of her demise cos we didn't give her a fair trial. We were too quick to lambast any topic that Goldie features in. I am also guilty of this cos I just saw her as someone who is just trying to be in the scene at all cost which made me thread such topics with negative remarks. Adebimpe Susan Harvey, I am deeply sorry about every negative thing I av said on this forum about you. Now that you are gone. REST WELL DEARIE* still wished we could turn back the hands of time

Afam4eva: A lot of NLanders also criticized whatever Goldie did ot did not do. This is an opportunity for ya'll to apologize. Who's first?

Apologise to who?

thank God i have never lambasted any celebrity on this forum,not even goldie

Can someone summarize this fairy tale in 7sentences to me please..??

Typical attributes of human being..Quick to cast stones on a fellow, like our hand are all clean..is dis what it takes to be a celebrity??i remember when i was still in skul (OAU)...she performed nd her free spirit nd everything about her just made me like her..but here we re a word that place judgement on people they know next to nothing about>.Nairalan peeps self taya me

Though, I am indifferent about Goldie, she was fearless obviously. May she R.I.P.

Hope this lengthy post is of sincere regret and not "promotion" for Bigsam media, just saying!