New details have emerged on the death of veteran actor Patrick Shai. News of the actor passing over the weekend shocked the country after his family confirmed his death.
Now police have revealed that Patrick Shai took his own life and that his wife found his body.
Police confirmed that Patrick Shai had taken his life by suicide and was found by his wife Mmasechaba Shai who discovered his body in the garage of his Soweto home.
Patrick was found hanging in the garage and his body was untied by his wife. According to the Shai family, Mmasechaba was the “pillar of strength” following her devastating discovery
“Mmasechaba is so strong, she is a strong woman. She is the one comforting us”, Lekgetho Shai told ENCA.
According to the family, Patrick Shai’s funeral will take place on Saturday, 29 January 2022. The family will share more details in due course.
A close friend of the actor revealed, Patrick Shai was “troubled” in his last few days.
Botlhale Modisane, who worked alongside the star on several charity campaigns, claims he was “misunderstood”. This, especially after apologizing to rapper Cassper Nyovest for offending him with a boxing match challenge, which went viral.
Bontle told Sunday World: “As an ex-GBV perpetrator, he wanted men to talk about their issues, which is why he had formed the Khuluma Ndoda Foundation. He said should Cassper answer to the challenge, he would then have a proper meeting with him and explain the context of the video that he shot to promote the boxing match”.
Prior to his death, Patrick Shai had been vocal about his own abusive past. This involved beating his wife Mmasechaba Shai, whom he was married to for almost 40 years.
But the star had an epiphany after playing the role of an abusive man in Soul City in 2017.
She told Drum magazine of the change: “Patrick slowly became a changed man – the man I fell in love with. He started giving motivational talks about his abusive life. At first, I was not happy that he was opening up to the public about our life. I was not emotionally ready to deal with the questions from my family and friends.”
“I prayed daily for him to change, and my prayers were answered. He is a changed man, and I thank God every day. He is the man I fell in love with when I was younger”.