Actor Waakye Dies: No Beds Available at Hospital When He Arrived, Reports Say

Ghanian actor Prince Yawson, known to his fans as Waakye, died on Aug. 1. He reportedly suffered a mild stroke and was rushed to a hospital, but there were no beds. Waayke, who survived a heart attack in 2017 and was hospitalized for a stroke in 2020, was 52.

Fellow actor Ekow Blankson told GhanaWeb Yawson was rushed to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra, Ghana’s capital city. A bed was not available for hours, but Yawson could not be saved. “I was informed Waakye was rushed to the hospital yesterday after suffering from a mild stroke, but upon getting there, there were no [beds],” Blankson said on Aug. 2. “Lucky one of the guys from Obra who works at the hospital got him a bed after a while. Unfortunately, at 4 p.m. today, it was confirmed that he passed.”

After news broke of Yawson’s death, the Ghanian acting community was frustrated. Actress Grace Omaboe, professionally known as Maame Dokono, blamed the lack of a hospital bed for her colleague’s death. “At the 37 Military Hospital, they also had no hospital beds, so he was attended to on a stretcher,” Omaboe told MyJoyOnline. “Before they got back with equipment to attend to him, he gave up the ghost.”

According to Omaboe, Yawson went to a different hospital earlier on Aug. 1. Another actor told her Yawson was rushed to Greater Accra Regional Hospital, but there were no beds at all there. He was taken to 37 at that point, only to wait even longer for another bed.

In the years before his death, Yawson faced several health challenges. In March 2017, he survived a heart attack. He later told LiveFMGhana that the experience inspired him to rekindle his relationship with God. He believed he survived the heart attack for a greater purpose. 

“What I see is that God is trying to tell me something because he’s been calling me to do his work but I always find an excuse for Him (God) so this is the only way that will draw me closer to Him (God),” the actor said. “I’ll start evangelizing or train to be a pastor to do his work and if anything I wouldn’t go through a situation like this again. At a point I became powerless but I realized God gave me back my life because he wants me to do a job for him.”

Yawson also survived a mild stroke in August 2020. At that time, he said he was struggling to pay medical bills after the actor’s guild in Ghana neglected him. His hospital bill was paid for by a “good Samaritan.” At that time, HotFMGhana reported that Yawson’s condition was critical. He also suffered a mild stroke in 2013.

Yawson’s credits include the TV series Obra and the movies Diablo, Babina, and Chorkor Trotro. “Given that I am the shy, quiet and reserved type, I did not believe in my abilities but after mounting the stage for the first time I haven’t looked back since,” he told Modern Ghana in 2015.