December 31, (THEWILL) – The Nigerian entertainment industry witnessed the passing away of several celebrities in 2023. IVORY UKONU takes a look at some of these late artistes who left indelible marks in the industry.
Ilerioluwa Aloba
Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, died on September 12, 2023, at the age of 27. Although there were video evidences that the singer was bullied and assaulted by Samuel Balogun, aka Sam Larry, and an associate of the singer, Azeez Fashola, aka Naira Marley, the police however claims that he died as a result of a wrong injection administered to him by an auxiliary nurse identified as Feyisayo Ogedengbe.
According to the police, the injection caused a chain reaction that directly resulted in his death. MohBad was signed to Naira Marley’s Marlian Records, but he left the label in 2022 after he fell out with his boss.
Obinna Nwafor
Nollywood actor Obinna Nwafor, popularly known as Saint Obi, died less than 24 hours after his colleague, Murphy Afolabi, passed on. Nwafor reportedly died a week before his death was made public at the home of one of his sisters in Jos, Plateau State.
Apart from battling ill health, which eventually led to his death, Saint Obi was not a happy man as he was in and out of the courts over the dissolution of his second marriage to Lynda Amobi who sabotaged the divorce process and the custody of his children. He died at the age of 57.
Saint Obi was very popular in the 90s and early 2000s as he featured in over 100 movies.
Dejumo Lewis
Dejumo Lewis was a veteran film and television actor, famous for his role as ‘Kabiyesi’ in the now rested television drama series, ‘The Village Headmaster.’ It was Nigeria’s longest-running television soap opera shown on NTA from 1968 to 1988. Lewis was born in 1943 in Ekiti State. He had his primary education at the Holy Cross Primary School in Lagos Island and attended St Gregory’s College, Lagos for his secondary education.
Lewis went to junior seminary to become a priest at St Theresa’s Catholic Minor Seminary in Ibadan. He eventually abandoned the priesthood to study at the University of Ibadan for a Master’s degree in Communication Arts. He was pronounced dead on December 23, 2023. He died at the age of 80.
Cindy Amadi
Nollywood actress, Cindy Amadi, known for her role in the lesbian-themed movie titled, ‘Ife,’ died in September 2023. The cause of her death was however not made known.
Peace Anyiam-Osigwe
Peace Anyiam-Osigwe was the founder of the globally acclaimed film event, Africa Movie Academy Awards, AMAA in 2005, with the award ceremony reputed to be one of the most recognised awards for Africans in film-making. In 2020, she emerged as the National President of The Association of Movie Producers.
A graduate of Law and Political Science from Oxford Brookes University, England, Anyiam-Osigwe pioneered the screening of Nollywood films at international film festivals. She was also a movie director and a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic. She was conferred with the national award for her contribution to the entertainment industry.
Anyiam-Osigwe died on January 9, 2023 at the age of 53 after being in a coma at the St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos for two days.
Murphy Afolabi
Actor and movie producer, Murphy Afolabi died on May 14, 2023, almost two weeks after he celebrated his 49th birthday, from injuries sustained when he fell down in his bathroom.
Afolabi, who started acting at a young age, shot to fame following his role in the movie ‘Omo Rapala.’ He acted in over 50 movies when he was alive.
Chikezie Uwazie
Nollywood actor Chikezie Uwazie died on Sunday, May 14, 2023 after undergoing brain surgery in the United States. Chikezie, who is one of the leading stars of the early 2000s, left Nigeria for the United States over seven years ago. Before he relocated, he featured in several Nollywood flicks.
Femi Ogunrombi
For a long time, Femi Ogunrombi played the role of Papa Ajasco, a lead character in Wale Adenuga’s television comedy series, ‘Papa Ajasco and Company.’ The character was well-known for his portly belly and the habit of tapping the back of his head and chanting ‘Ojigbigbigbi’ when excited.
Ogunrombi, who was an ethnomusicologist, joined the cast of Papa Ajasco and Company after Abiodun Ayoyinka pulled out of the sitcom.
Unlike his twin brother, Ogunrombi had switched from the medical sciences to study music and drama at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), where he, alongside other talented students founded a singing group called Ayoro Voices. He died on January 14, 2023.
Oluyemi Adeyemi
Actor Oluyemi Adeyemi, popularly known as Suara, rose to fame with his role in the 2001 edition of the Wale Adenuga TV drama series, Super Story. He died on Sunday September 25, 2023, but the cause of his death is still unknown.
Ojo Arowosafe
Nollywood actor, Ojo Arowosafe, popularly known as Fadeyi Oloro, died on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at the age of 66 after a protracted illness. Fadeyi Oloro was famous for his oratory skill, particularly in reciting Yoruba incantations. He rose to fame after acting in the movie ‘Arelu’ in the late 1980s. He also acted in many other Yoruba movies, such as ‘Inubibi,’ ‘Anike Olufa’ and ‘Akoni Mefa,’ among others.
Cynthia Okereke
She was an actress known for movies, such as ‘Katakata,’ ‘Idemili’ and ‘For the Love of Isiuwa’. She died on July 11, 2023 in Nigeria at age of 53 after a brief illness. Cynthia died almost one year after she was kidnapped alongside her colleague, Clemson Cornel Nonyelu, popularly known as ‘Agbogidi’, while filming in Enugu in 2022.
Chris Mba
Veteran pop singer, Chris Mba, died on May 3, 2023, after a long battle with heart issues. The musician, who was famous in the 1980s for his jerry curls and hit-songs, such as ‘Funky Situation’, ‘Baby Don’t Cry’, ‘Making My Way’ and ‘Love Everlasting’, died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.
Adedigba Mukaila
Veteran actor Adedigba Mukaila, best known by his stage name ‘Alafin Oro’, died on May 13, 2023. He is popularly known for his ‘herbalist’ and king roles in many Yoruba movies.
Sunday Akanbi Akinola
The veteran actor who became popular for his role as ‘Mogaji’ in the television series ‘Feyikogbon’ which aired on NTA in southwestern Nigeria in the 1980s, died of kidney failure on January 9, 2023. He was aged 80.
Yul Edochie’s son
Nollywood actor, Yul Edochie faced a heartbreaking moment as he lost his first son, Kambilichukwu Edochie, two months after celebrating the young boy’s 16th birthday with his wife, May Edochie. The 15-year-old passed out at school while playing football and developed a seizure. He was rushed to the Mother and Child Hospital, Lagos, where he died hours later.
Usman Pategi
Kannywood legend, Usman Pategi, became popular playing the lead role in the defunct Nigerian Television Authority, NTA drama series titled ‘Samanja’ back in the 1980s. He died in November 2023 at the age of 81. The cause of his death is unknown.
Nkem Owoh’s daughter
Veteran Nollywood actor Nkem Owoh lost one of his daughters, Kosisochukwu, to cancer. She died on June 28, 2023 at the age of 24. After her death, her father was accused of abandoning his family, treating them badly and failing to fulfil his responsibilities as the head of the family.
A man who claimed to be a relative of Nkem Owoh’s wife said the actor’s late daughter had begged her father to sponsor her treatment abroad, but he did nothing until she eventually passed away.
Don Brymo Uchegbu
Legendary actor best known for his royal father, traditional roles in movies, Don Brymo Uchegbu, died after he slumped while shooting a film in Ahoada, Port-Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he gave up the ghost.
Uchegbu suffered a partial stroke. A native of Enugwu-Ukwu in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, he was one of the most-sought-after actors in Nigeria and started his acting career way back while still in secondary school. He has acted mostly in epic movies, contemporary movies, glamour movies and action thriller movies.
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