He rose from a bullied boy at school to an entertainer loved by the people

Finland lost one of its comedian legends exactly three years ago on July 18. Jorma Olavi “Jope” Ruonansuu died at the age of 56 after suffering from esophageal cancer.

Ruonansuu is remembered above all as a versatile performing talent. In addition to his work as a comedian, he was an impersonator, musician and actor.

The multitalent from Kemi grew up with seven siblings and his parents. Ruonansuu’s brother Seppo described to Iltalehte last February that the star was always the humorist of his family, who covered well the scars of being bullied at school.

– At home, he always made up all the jokes and stuff. The parents didn’t even know about the bullying, they knew how to keep it inside, although of course it wasn’t right, Seppo said, referring to the fact that the actor was teased for being overweight all the way to vocational school.

A career worthy of a platinum medal

The self-taught comedian was originally trained as a carpenter. The star lit up when he performed at the age of 16 by Klaus Thomasson hosting Claustrophobia-entertainment program in the 1980s.

Eight years later, Ruonansuu released his debut album Mimicking hobo and demonstrated his skills as an impersonator in the same year Vesku Show. At that time, Ruonansuu imitated the host of Vesku Show himself Vesa-Matti Loiriawhich the comedian said in 2014 that he would prefer to perform.

After that, Ruonansuu’s career took off like a rocket. He worked in radio, made comedy records, Pekko-films and sketch series. The most famous of them is Just Show. Ruonansuu was also successful in music, as his recordings have sold 15 gold records and 8 platinum records.

In particular, Ruonansuu’s sketch characters have remained in the minds of many Finns. The comedian had time to create about 150 characters, one of the most memorable of which is the side character man.

Ruonansuu also received recognition for his skills as a comedian: in 1990 he won the Finnish comedy music championship and six years later the star received the so-called Humor Emma. In addition, he has been chosen twice as entertainment artist of the year, and the Jopet Show brought him the 2010 best television performer award.

In 2006, Ruonansuu’s life was covered when he was made Tommi Virtanen delivered Don’t think about it! -biography. Almost three years after the death of the legend was published Jope Ite -documentary that compiles a heartbreaking story about the life of a beloved Finnish entertainer.

The torment of health worries

Ruonansuu had many health challenges throughout his life. In 1995, the comedian was diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes, and later publicly stated that he suffered from heart problems. Diabetes even took Ruonansuu to the hospital in 2008, when the effectiveness of the comedian’s insulin decreased, possibly due to the summer heat.

Being overweight also brought challenges to the impersonator during his life. In 2015, the comedian underwent gastric bypass surgery, which caused him to lose tens of kilograms.

So much is known about Ruonansuu’s fatal illness that he was diagnosed with it in the spring of 2018. With surgery and cytostatic treatments, the actor got the papers to be healthy, but the cancer recurred in the fall of 2019.

Death shocked

In addition to many fans, Ruonansuu will be missed by his loved ones, friends and colleagues. Iltalehti collected the memoirs of the comedian’s relatives and friends, which they have shared over the course of three years.

– Jope would have liked to be taken more seriously as a music maker. For example Angels for real is a great ballad song, but the label wanted a sense of humor. It was clear from Jope that he wanted to make more music. He wanted to be a songwriter who was respected, a musician Mikko Alatalo told in 2021.

With a multi-talent in the music industry Ilkka Vainio was a special memory of his dear friend. When in 2020 Vainio and Ruonansuu both fought cancer on their own, peer support from a friend was a big help. Vainio got better, but Ruonansuu didn’t.

– Jope encouraged me a lot. It was agreed to see and make more boards. I thought that he would still rise from it, Vainio revealed in July 2021.

Also Ruonansuu’s widowed spouse Pot has remembered her late husband in her book After You’re Gone – Stories of Grief and Survival (Anneli JuutilainenDocendo 2021).

– I thanked him for everything. Also because he had been a good father to my now adult daughter. I held Jope’s hand and was by his side when he died on July 18, Mari’s spouse said.