Gülse Birsel's farewell message to Vural Çelik draws backlash

Vural Çelik (51), known for his character Kubilay in the show Avrupa Yakası and who appeared in many productions, passed away on October 17.

Gülse Birsel, who worked with him for many years, bid farewell to her former co-star with a message posted on social media. However, after this message drew public backlash, Birsel was forced to delete her post.

In her message, Birsel stated that she has not attended funerals for a long time, explaining that this is due to a personal anxiety condition.

Birsel spoke about the memories she shared with Vural Çelik during the Avrupa Yakası era and expressed her sadness over Çelik's sudden loss. However, the fact that Birsel also mentioned past disagreements with Çelik in her post sparked public criticism.

Birsel included the following statements in her message: “My farewell to Vural... I haven't been able to attend funerals for a few years. (An anxiety issue I need to resolve.) Funerals, setting aside the religious ceremony part, exist to commemorate and bid farewell to the deceased. I will do this by writing... He was like the child of the set... He was one of a kind... Turkey has lost a very good actor, a comedian. I forgive him for any rights I may have had, may he be forgiven completely... 'We'll run into each other sometime anyway.' We always say sometime... The curtain closed too early. May God have mercy on him. May he rest in peace.”

A statement of support for Gülse Birsel also came from Şenay Gürler, who played the character Fatoş in Avrupa Yakası.

Gürler stated the following in a post on her social media account: “For days, absurd accusations have been made about Gülse... We are all saddened that we lost Vural so early, of course. I couldn't go to his funeral, I was on tour. Gülse also explained why she couldn't go. But Gülse is almost being declared responsible for this early death... People are so eager to lynch someone. It has been over 15 years since 'Avrupa Yakası' ended, friends...”

Gürler continued her words as follows: “I haven't seen Gülse be rude to anyone or speak condescendingly for five and a half years. She is a decent human being. I didn't witness any argument between her and Vural. Those who left Avrupa Yakası usually left of their own volition... This is, above all else, disrespectful to the memory of our friend whom we lost early.”

Gülse Birsel's mention of some past negative experiences with Çelik in her posted message drew backlash.

Birsel noted that Çelik had used "inexplicable" expressions about her on a television program, stating, “I think it was the wrong decision. I wish we had played together in the final season as well. And I wish he hadn't used inexplicable, inappropriate sentences about me on a TV program a few months later.”

These remarks drew backlash from some users for using critical language about a person who has passed away.