Nollywood Mourns As Veteran Actor Francis Duru Dies at 57

Veteran Nollywood actor Francis Duru has died at the age of 57 following a brief illness.

His family announced his death in a statement shared on his official Instagram page in the early hours of Friday, thanking fans, friends and well-wishers for their prayers, love and support.

“We, the family of Francis Duru, regret to announce his passing following a brief illness.

“We appreciate your prayers, love, and understanding. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Amen,” the statement read.

The President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Abubakar Yakubu, also confirmed the actor’s death in a post on Instagram.

“Another great thespian gone….Rest in peace Francis Duru!!” Yakubu wrote.

Duru’s death comes months after he dismissed reports suggesting that he was battling a life-threatening illness.

In June, a video showing the actor appearing frail circulated on social media, raising concerns among his fans, colleagues and other members of the entertainment industry.

Reacting to the footage at the time, Duru released a video on Instagram, describing the circulating clip as “fabricated and malicious”.

The actor expressed disappointment over the spread of the video, accusing those responsible of using false information about his health to generate online traffic.

“My dear fans, greetings to you all, thank you all for always being there for me with your prayers and your wishes. As you all know, I wish you all the same. I’m making this video in regard to a very wicked video circulating about me being sick to that very level you can see in the video,” he said.

He added that he had not been as ill as the video suggested and expressed confidence in his recovery and continued well-being.

“I have never been that sick and would never be that sick. And by God’s grace, I will keep being stronger and stronger,” Duru stated.

The actor further condemned those he accused of spreading negative information about him for social media attention, thanking his fans for their concern and continued support.

His death has now been announced by his family and the leadership of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, marking a sad moment for Nollywood and his admirers.

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