IRAQ: A source of laughter lost

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Iraqis are used to bad news, but the news that greeted them Saturday was especially jarring: one of the country’s most beloved entertainers had died in neighboring Syria, where he had fled to escape the war.

Rassim Jumaili, an actor known best for his comedic flair and talent for poking fun at Iraqi life, was 69 when he passed away in the Syrian capital, Damascus. Shakir Radhi, an official at Baghdad’s Cinema and Theater Directorate, said Jumaili had been admitted to a hospital with a heart ailment four days earlier. ‘You know how hard it can be for anyone to be away from home,’ he said.

Iraqi television stations broadcast tributes to the actor, whose last role seen in Iraq this year, ‘The Leader,’ was considered a parody of Saddam Hussein’s regime. In the TV show he portrayed a dictator lording over beleaguered Iraqis.

Jumaili, the son of a poor spice seller, attended the College of Fine Arts in Baghdad. He got his start in theater through unusual means: in the Iraqi army in the 1970s. He joined a military theater group, and a star was born, said his old friend, musician Majid Hussein. One of his most famous roles was in ‘Under the Barber’s Blade,’ an Iraqi sitcom about a middle-aged, struggling barber and his obnoxious young worker. But Jumaili also dabbled in drama on the live stage in Baghdad.

Iraq’s independent Sharqiya TV channel broadcast a tribute to Jumaili called ‘The People’s Artist,’ which included remembrances from Jumaili’s relatives and other entertainers, many of whom have fled Iraq because of the war. Weeping artists called in to tell how Jumaili had helped them or their families during the war.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani offered to pay for Jumaili’s body to be brought to Baghdad so he could be buried at home.

Hussein said his friend was a rarity in today’s Iraq: someone who had a good heart and a good sense of humor, and no enemies. ‘A good-hearted man he was,’ Hussein said.

— Saif Hameed in Baghdad