By Abiola Olawale
The Nollywood industry has been thrown into mourning following the demise of a popular actor John Paul Odonwodo also known as Junior Pope.
It was gathered that John Pope passed away in a boat accident that occurred on Wednesday. The late actor and three of his colleagues were coming back from a movie location in a boat when they fell into the Anam River in Anambra.
The National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, Emeka Rollas, has also confirmed the death of the Nollywood actor.
Rollas took to his Instagram page on Thursday to disclose the sad development as he wrote, “It is so so sad that our joy was short-lived.
“My first post was out of excitement when we noticed his tingling fingers. Two notable hospitals tried their best to revive him but to no avail.
“God knows the best. We finally lost him,” he said.
The New Diplomat reports that Junior Pope joined the Nollywood industry in 2006 and started attending movie auditions and acting as a minor character in movies.
He usually played the role of a bodyguard, palace attendant, and servant in movies.
In 2007, he rose to fame after acting in the Nollywood blockbuster movie “Secret Adventures”, a movie directed by Tchidi Chikere.
He acted in more than 150 Nollywood movies which include: “Secret Adventures”, “Mad Sex”, “Bitter Generation”, “Vengeance of Bullet”, “The Cat”, “The Generals”, “Wrong Initiation” among others.
In 2010, he won the award for Nollywood Most Promising Actor in Nigeria at the Entertainment Factory Awards.
The New Diplomat also reports that Junior Pope’s demise makes it the seventh death tragedy that hit the Nollywood industry this year alone.
Below is the list of the Nollywood actors who passed away this year;
Amaechi Muonago is a veteran comic actor in the Nollywood industry who died on Sunday, March 24, after battling kidney disease for a long time.
Also, Veteran Yoruba actor Deji Aderemi, popularly known as Olofa Ina, died on Thursday, January 4. He died at the age of 73. The actor was said to have died of cancer in Lagos State.
The sudden and shocking death of Yoruba Nollywood actor, Tolani Quadri Oyebamiji, popularly known as Sisi Quadri happened on March 1, at the age of 44. Oyebamiji celebrated his 44th birthday on December 25, 2023.
Veteran actress, Ethel Ekpe, who adorned the Nigerian entertainment screen for years, died on Wednesday, February 7, in Lagos State. Ekpe is well known for playing the role of ‘Segi’ on the Nigerian Television Authority sitcom, ‘Basi and Company’. She died after a long battle with cancer.
Popular comic actor, John Okafor, better known as Mr. Ibu, died at the age of 62. Before his death, he had been hospitalized for several days and had one of his legs amputated as part of the treatment for his ailment.
Fast-rising Nollywood actress, Adejumoke Aderonmu, popularly known for her feature in the hit series Jenifa’s Diary, died on Sunday, March 7.
