Omotola Odunsi, the fast-rising actress famous in the Yoruba film industry, is dead.
Akinola ‘Segbowe’ Akano, Odunsi’s colleague, confirmed her demise in a tribute post via Instagram.
The actor shared photos of Odunsi alongside screenshots of their last conversation, in which he checked up on her and she responded that she had been unwell but was feeling better.
Segbowe described her passing as “a strange, rude shock”, implying that she died immediately after he checked up on her. He also expressed his condolences to her family.
“Motola! Strange but I tried checking on you at the wee hours of that morning. You said you were FINE & BACK!,” he wrote on Thursday evening.
“This is a rude shock, Omotola! Journey well, sister. God be with your family.”
The cause of death remains unknown.
Some of her colleagues in the Yoruba movie industry also took to social media to pay their last respects.
Ashabi Simple, the baby mama of singer Portable, mourned Odunsi on Instagram, recounting their recent encounter on a movie set and the unfulfilled plans they had to work together on future projects.
“I’m shocked. You’re one of the best actors I’m rooting for. I saw you earlier this year when I was shooting Deputy and we promised to feature each other in our next project, but now u laboured and didn’t wait to reap what life sef,” she wrote.
“I remember nights you do chat to give me hope and advice, most of your wishes we talked about didn’t even come true. GOD, we can’t question you, death is deep.”
Odunlade Adekola also expressed sadness over his trainee’s demise, saying, “Jesus Christ. RIP Omotola”.
Odunsi began her acting career by performing in stage dramas during her 200-level year at Olabisi Onabanjo University, before meeting actor Adekola at a training audition, where she was selected and trained under his guidance. She graduated in 2023.
Since then, she featured in several films including ‘Lisabi: The Uprising’, ‘Officer Adaeze’, ‘Amonata’, ‘Ayanmo Ire’, and ‘Ifedayo’.
