His stage life seemed smooth sailing, but when his brother Fukusuke NAKAMURA V (commonly called Kei-chan Fukusuke) died from disease in 1933, it was turned around.
順風満帆に思えた舞台人生だが、1933年（昭和8年）に兄・五代目中村福助（俗に慶ちゃん福助と呼ばれた）が病没するや、それは一転する。