Veteran Nigerian actor Olu Jacobs has died at 84.
Glamtush reports that veteran Nigerian actor and film executive, Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, popularly known as Olu Jacobs, has died at the age of 84.
His death was announced by his son, Olusoji Jacobs, on Instagram on Wednesday.
In the statement, the family described the late actor as “The Lion of Lufodo” and asked bloggers and social media influencers to respect its privacy.
“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.
Oludotun Baiyewun Jacobs (MFR)
11/07/1942-16/09/2026
We call on all bloggers and social media influencers to respect our families privacy at this time.”
Jacobs was one of Nigeria’s veteran actors and was widely recognised for his contributions to theatre, television and film.
He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in England and began his acting career in Britain, where he worked with repertoire theatres and appeared in British television productions and international films.
He was conferred with the national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic in 2011.
Jacobs was married to fellow veteran actress, Joke Silva.
The “death” of Jacobs, has been rumoured a number of times since November 2021 when his wife, Joke Silva, opened up on the health struggles of her husband. But the family has debunked such incident at several times, posting videos and photos of their patriarch to discredit rumour-mongers.
Back in 2021, Silva revealed that her husband has been battling with Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) for a couple of years, hence, his absence from movie screens.
“He is dealing with issues and it has been going on for a couple of years. It is known as dementia with Lewy Body. It is a degenerative disease that affects the brain and it is almost like a Parkinson’s type of disease, it affects the brain so you don’t see the shaking. It affects the person.”
“It’s been hard on him because he doesn’t understand what is going on and also on family members as well. We have gone through it over the past couple of years and we thank God,” she had said in a Channels Television interview.
