Shucks battles loneliness

SOUTH African comedy icon Leon Schuster, once the country’s prank-king of the silver screen, has revealed after decades of entertainment, fame and millions in net worth, he has quietly battled depression and loneliness.

His candid discussion offers a glimpse behind the jokes, opening up on a part of his life rarely seen beyond his public persona.

Having built a legacy as one of South Africa’s most-loved entertainers, Shuster admits that on Sunday evenings when the sun goes down, he gets depressed and tries to have his children visit him.

Having been divorced since 1999 from his ex-wife Lalie, he adds: “To grow old alone is my biggest fear”

The entertainer openly speaks of enduring two failed back surgeries and reliance on painkiller pills, a combination that has taken a toll on his mental health as much as his mobility.

Despite being reported to have a net worth of around R50 million, that financial success does not shield from the emotional vulnerability that Schuster describes.

In a new documentary on kykNet, he reveals the extent of his inner turmoil: although the public sees the jokes and the camera, he says the truth is: “If no one visits me, I sit on my stoep and think about life, which is not a good thing.”

His willingness to speak about aging, pain, divorce, and loneliness changes the narrative: success and fame do not protect men against depression.

Hopefully it also opens a wider conversation about mental health before it becomes overwhelming.

When he says “entrepreneurs, actors, anyone working hard - don’t wait until the pain gets too loud to listen,” he’s speaking not only to his peers but also to a generation of South African men.