O’jez cancels June award for Fatai Rolling Dollars

O’jez, organizers of the monthly O’jez Entertainment Awards, have cancelled this month’s award ceremony in honour of the veteran highlife musician, Fatai Rolling Dollar, who passed on last week at the age of 85 years. The award was billed to hold on Sunday, June 30.

*Fatai

A statement titled ‘O’jez Mourns’ which was signed by the outfit’s publicist, Chief Joseph Odobeatu, said this month’s award had to be cancelled as a mark of honour for the departed highlife maestro who died after a brief illness in a Lagos hospital.
“We cannot be celebrating while a key member of the O’jez Entertainment Awards had just passed on. Baba Fatai Rolling Dollar was not just an artiste who had performed for over a decade on the O’jez stage, he was a family member to the O’jez group.”
Odobeatu continued: “It’s very sad to hear the news of the demise of a legend,  Fatai Rolling Dollars. The O’jez family is still in shock because Rolling Dollars was very much part of the family for over 12 years now. He had been with us from inception at Iwaya Road outlet down to National Stadium. He has been performing every Friday and every last Sunday of the month for over a decade now…its a big loss for us at O’jez and a bigger loss to the Nigerian entertainment industry.”
The record label owner said the award recipient for this month had been informed following the development a day after the veteran artiste passed on.
He assured that O’jez would play an active role in the 40 days burial rites. “We would assist the family in the little way we can when the time comes as FRD (as Rolling Dollar was fondly called) was a great asset to us,” Odobeatu added.