Friends and family gathered yesterday at the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana on Woolford Avenue for the last rites for renowned comedian Habeeb Khan. Khan lost the battle to asthmatic bronchitis, passing away in his sleep at his Friendship, East Bank Demerara home last week. He was 78. Khan became a household name after he appeared in the local film “If Wishes Were Horses” as well as scores of television commercials inclusive of the unforgettable pawn shop commercial in which he placed the role of a patient who had lost his memory. “I live a simple life; on stage I am a comedian but off stage I just want to be me, a Guyanese. I am the product of a slave and an immigrant and I am very proud of my heritage. As we say in Creolese, ‘Me ain’t kay who black, who white, who pink, a nothing, once yuh born in Guyana, you is Guyanese and dat is me” Khan stated in an interview with the Sunday Stabroek in 2004.
