Comedian Abderrahim Tounsi, alias Abderraouf, died on Sunday night, according to a post published by his son Oussama Tounsi. He suffered from heart disease.
Born in 1936, Abderrahim Tounsi is one of the most beloved comedians of Moroccans. Imprisoned by the colonial authorities in the early 1950s, Abderrahim Tounsi developed a passion for theatre.
On his release from prison, he created the character of Abderraouf in 1967 which would accompany him throughout his career before illness pushed him away from the artistic scene for years.
He marked the memory of several generations of Moroccans with his jester style, with his nasal voice, his red chechia, his colorful jabador and seroual.
During his long career, the deceased left an anthology of works, hundreds of sketches, countless appearances on television and two cinematographic works, Majid (2011) and Ammi (2016).
The deceased passed away peacefully in the early hours of Monday at the age of 86 after a long illness, said Massoud Bouhssine, president of the Moroccan Syndicate of Theater Professionals.