Junior Pope
Tributes are pouring in for Nollywood actor Junior Pope, 39, whose life was cut short after he succumbed to his injuries sustained because of a boat accident on Wednesday.
Nigerian celebrities and politicians took to social media to reflect on the life of the late actor, describing his sudden death as a great loss to Nigeria’s movie industry.
“It’s so so sad that our joy was short lived. Two notable hospitals tried their best to revive him but to no avail. We finally lost him,” Emeka Rollas Ejezie, the president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), posted on Facebook.
Nigerian politician Peter Obi, who ran for president last year, shared a moving message to commemorate the late actor on X.
“Junior Pope was known for his energetic acting, always comically delivered to entertain and educate. He brought smiles to the faces of many through his roles in movies and comedy skits,” he wrote.
The film star was born in Bamenda, Cameroon to a Nigerian father and Cameroonian mother. He attended primary and secondary school in Cameroon before moving to Nigeria.
His acting career began in 2006 and has since featured in over 100 movies including, Mad Sex, Secret Adventure, Wrong Initiation, The Generals and more.
He is famous for playing roles of villain, criminal, armed robber, militant and hitman gaining some recognition for his craft.
In 2010, he was awarded Nollywood’s Most Promising Actor in Nigeria at the City People Entertainment Awards and also nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for the movie Nkwocha at the Nigeria Movies Awards.
He was married to Jennifer Awele for 10 years and they had three boys together.
One of Nollywood’s most popular actresses, Ini Edo posted a message voicing concern for more safeguarding measures to be put in place for actors working on movie sets.
“Junior Pope did not have to sacrifice his life for Nollywood to realise the need for a long and much needed regulatory structure that would safeguard an entire production,” she said.
