Nollywood Actor Dies In South Africa

Odira Nwobu

 

Nollywood has been plunged into mourning following the sudden death of popular actor and content creator Odira Nwobu, who died on Monday in South Africa at the age of 43.

His lawyer, Chukwujiekwu Chukwudi, and the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN) confirmed the news to the BBC, sparking an outpouring of shock and grief across Nigeria’s entertainment community.

Nwobu’s family has not yet spoken publicly, and the cause of death remains unknown. A coroner’s report is expected soon, according to Mr Chukwudi.

The lawyer told BBC News Igbo that Odira was found alone in his hotel room in Benoni, near Johannesburg, “gasping for breath”. An ambulance was called, and paramedics attempted to revive the actor using a defibrillator, but he died at the scene before he could be taken to the hospital.

Distressing videos which appeared to show the actor’s lifeless body began circulating online shortly after his death, prompting outrage and sorrow among fans.

Born in Enugu State in 1982, Nwobu launched his acting career straight out of secondary school with a role in Joseph the Dreamer. Though prolific, he once admitted feeling typecast in Nollywood’s tightly defined character roles—an experience that pushed him towards creating skits and short videos for social media.

Across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, he built a sizable following, using humour and relatable storytelling to reach hundreds of thousands of fans.

At the time of his death, he had travelled to South Africa with a group of influencers to promote a Nigerian-owned real estate company. His lawyer, who also serves as the firm organising the trip’s legal adviser, was with him.

“We were shocked to receive calls from Nigeria to confirm the passing away of the young man, while we were still debating how to break the news to his family,” Mr Chukwudi said.

Odira Nwobu narrowly survived a road accident in July—an incident that fuelled false rumours of his death at the time.

The actor was not married and leaves behind no children, according to reports.

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