Nollywood actor Francis Duru don die at 57 after brief illness

Veteran Nollywood actor Francis Duru don die at di age of 57 after a brief illness. Im family announce di death inside one statement wey dem post on im official Instagram page for early hours of Friday.

"We, di family of Francis Duru, regret to announce im passing following a brief illness," na wetin di statement read. Di family thank fans for dia prayers, love and understanding.

Channels TV, wey quote one family source, report say Duru die around 10pm on Thursday for National Hospital Abuja. Im wife and children survive am.

For many Nigerians, Duru na one of di familiar faces of di home-video era, di actor wey you know from di shelf of cassettes for sitting room. He start acting in 1989 inside Missing Mark, wey late Ndubuisi Oko direct. But na im role as young Ahanna inside di 1995 action film Rattlesnake, wey late Amaka Igwe produce, make am household name.

Dem born am on July 27, 1969, for Cameroon to Nigerian parents from Imo State, he do im primary and secondary schooling there before he move to Nigeria. He study Theatre Arts for University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and graduate in 1996.

He stay on screen for more than three decades, moving from VHS films to streaming. Im credits include Blood Money (1997), Stigma (2013), Merry Men: The Real Yoruba Demons (2018), The Good Husband (2020) and Blood Vessel (2023). In 2020 he win Best Actor in a Leading Role (Igbo) for Best of Nollywood Awards for Mboputa.

Beyond acting, he work as producer, director, voice-over artist and master of ceremonies. He be interim president of Actors Guild of Nigeria in 2010 and receive United Nations Ambassador of Peace award in 2007.

Mourning in Nollywood

Im death come five weeks after di industry lose veteran actor Olu Jacobs. Veteran actor Kanayo O. Kanayo, wey dey mourn on Instagram, call Duru "one of di most flexible, prolific performers Nigeria ever produce" and talk say: "A consummate actor don leave di stage."

E also come two years after Duru lose im 15-year-old son, Ifeanyi, in August 2024. He publicly mourn di boy, describe am as "champ" and "lion" wey fight fearlessly.

In June this year, Duru dismiss reports say he dey battle life-threatening illness. After one video wey show am looking frail spread online, he post video call di footage "fabricated and malicious".

Sources differ on di number of children wey he leave behind. Punch report say he marry im wife, Adokiye, in 2003 and dem get four children, while Channels TV talk say im wife and two children survive am.

Im family don ask for prayers and understanding as dem mourn.