The stage community is in mourning following the death of 75-year-old Valletta-born stage veteran Gemma Portelli on Thursday night.

Mrs Portelli had been in the public eye since 1957 when she joined Radju Muskettieri with fellow actors Charles Clews and the late Johnny Catania.

Together with her late husband Paul she formed The Bluebirds in the 1960s which produced and presented a children's programme.

In 1976, she was the protagonist in the TV series F'Baħar Wieħed, playing the part of Ġoma, and in 1980 presented a series of comedy programmes called Fuq Tlieta Toqgħod Il-Borma.

Mr Clews recalled that when she appeared on the scene through Radju Muskettieri, she was still Gemma Schembri, a very dedicated person with an immense sense of humour.

As a child in the war, Mrs Portelli used to set up her own stage and produce her own plays to entertain children.

A highlight in her career, Mr Clews said, must have been her trips to Australia where she performed for the Maltese community.

She used to sew her own costumes, was professional and never let anyone down.

Mr Clews said that her health started to deteriorate following the death of her husband.

Fellow actor and friend Charles Thake described her as a fine lady and mother who was broken hearted because one of her children lived overseas. Mrs Portelli was a family friend and she and Mrs Thake were together in one of their first plays at school in which Mrs Portelli was Our Lady and Mrs Thake the angel who sang her the Ave Maria.

Mr Thake said he worked with Mrs Portelli in the theatre, on BBC and in nightclubs and was with her on one of the trips to Australia.

It was only Mrs Portelli's love for the theatre which kept her taking part in a television series, even though she was undergoing dialysis.

When he last saw her, about a month ago, she asked him to pray for her because she was very sick. "Her loss is a pity," he said.

Tejatru Rjal company director Pawlu Testa described Mrs Portelli as a unique and irreplaceable actress who was capable of making people smile not just when she was on stage but also in her personal life.

"It was not the first time that she played jokes on me," he recalled.

Mr Testa said Mrs Portelli did not become an actress but was born one and her death is a big loss for the stage. With Tejatru Rjal, Mrs Portelli played major roles in, among other plays, Ġesù'ta' Nazzarett, Is-Salib tal-Fidda and It-Tieġ Ta' Karmena Abdilla.

After her death was announced on www.timesofmalta.com, some readers made their own tributes to the late actress.

Saviour Attard described her as "a gem of an actress" and 20-year-old Silvan Spagnol said that even though he was still young, he always admired her and felt saddened by her demise.

Frederick Attard thanked Mrs Portelli "for the wonderful and happy moments you gave us when you came into our homes on television".

Mario Sant wrote that she was a legend and he doubted if she would ever be equalled. Her niece, Marsette Palmier, described Mrs Portelli as a "real character in life and on stage. Acting meant so much to you and your real character was a ray of sunshine for all those who knew you. Thank you. Now you can join your beloved Paul".

In December 2000, Mrs Portelli was awarded the Midalja Ġieħ ir-Repubblika and last year she received the Charles Arrigo Lifetime Achievement Award at the Malta Television Awards.

Besides the acting community and the people she used to entertain, Mrs Portelli also leaves to mourn her loss her children Martin and Cora. Her funeral will be held today at the Msida parish church at 2.30 p.m.

Memories of many decades

Frans H. Said (Iz-Ziju Frans), writes:

It is with great sadness that I heard of the demise of my dear friend from the past. Ġemma Portelli had entertained many generations.

Together with others, Ġemma had been synonymous with light entertainment and comedy. Those of a certain age will surely remember her for the funny and amusing programmes she used to participate in.

To me Ġemma brings back memories of many decades. Together with her (late) husband Paul and his accordion, we co-presented many programmes for children.

Of special mention were the series of broadcasts we used to make from children's homes.

Those programmes had many scopes. The less fortunate were treated on the same level as other children. They used to enjoy seeing and meeting radio personalities. The children competed against other homes in general knowledge quizzes. The hard-working nuns used to teach and prepare them, often to sing in very harmonious voices.

Ġemma used to be in her environment among the children. The children used to feel her fervour and the smiles on their faces was more than ample compensation for her efforts.

It is important to stress the fact that, like many others, Ġemma used to participate free of charge. During those decades we all felt the need to entertain and educate and our remuneration was the joy we gave to others.

May God welcome her soul with open hands!

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