Nollywood Legend Olu Jacobs Dies At 84

Legendary Nollywood actor, Chief Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, popularly known as Olu Jacobs, has passed away at the age of 84.

The news was confirmed on Wednesday morning by his son, Olusoji Jacobs, via an official family statement on Instagram:

“It is with gratitude to God for a life well lived and fought, that we announce the passing of our dear husband, father, grandfather and uncle. The Lion of Lufodo.

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The family also pleaded for privacy at this difficult time.

Olu Jacobs was not just an actor, he was an institution. With a career spanning over 50 years, from the stages of London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts where he trained, to British TV shows like The Goodies  and The Professionals, and then to over 120 Nollywood classics like Ashanti, The Dogs of War, The Royal Hibiscus Hotel and Violet, Olu Jacobs defined excellence.

His deep voice, commanding presence, and fatherly warmth made him the favourite "TV dad" of a generation.

Together with his wife, veteran actress Joke Silva, whom he married in 1989, he built the Lufodo Group, Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts, and helped groom the next generation of Nigerian filmmakers.

In recent years, he had been battling Dementia with Lewy Bodies, a condition his wife made public in 2021, and had stepped away from acting.

This is not a rumour. In the past 4 years, the family had to debunk his death news at least 3 times. Today, it is confirmed by the family itself.

He was honoured with the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor, AMVCA Industry Merit Award, and was a recipient of the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).

He is survived by his wife Joke Silva, his children Soji and Olugbenga, and grandchildren.