Kanayo O. Kanayo Mourns Late Nollywood Star Francis Duru in Emotional Tribute

Veteran Nollywood actor Kanayo O. Kanayo has paid an emotional tribute to his colleague Francis Duru following the actor’s death at the age of 57Duru’s family announced his death on his Instagram page on Friday, October 23, 2026, while the Actors Guild of Nigeria president also confirmed the newsFans who saw Kanayo’s post shared fond memories of Duru, who rose to fame after playing Ahanna in the classic 1995 Nollywood action film RattlesnakePAY ATTENTION: Mark YEN.com.gh as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!

Veteran Nollywood actor Kanayo O. Kanayo has mourned his colleague Francis Duru following the actor’s death.

Veteran Nollywood actor Kanayo O. Kanayo mourns his late colleague Francis Duru, who died at the age of 57. Photo source: @kanayo.o.kanayo Source: FacebookDuru’s family announced his death in a statement on his Instagram page in the early hours of Friday, October 23, 2026.

The National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Abubakar Yakubu, also confirmed the news. Duru was 57.

Born in Cameroon to Nigerian parents from Imo State, he rose to prominence after playing Ahanna in the 1995 film Rattlesnake.

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His other credits include Blood Money, Merry Men: The Real Yoruba Demons, The Good Husband and Blood Vessel.

Taking to Instagram, Kanayo O. Kanayo shared a photo of Duru dressed in a purple traditional outfit and a hat as he mourned the late actor.

In the caption, the veteran actor described Duru as a consummate actor and one of the most versatile performers Nigeria has produced.

His post had gathered nearly 9,000 likes and over 600 comments at the time of writing. Kanayo, who rose to fame through the classic Living in Bondage, is one of Nollywood’s most respected veterans.

The Instagram post by Kanayo O. Kanayo, in which he mourns Francis Duru, is below.

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Many fans who saw Kanayo’s post shared fond memories of Duru’s films. YEN.com.gh compiled some of the comments below.

YEN.com.gh earlier reported that Duru began acting in 1989 with the film Missing Mark. He later became widely known for playing Ahanna in Amaka Igwe’s action film Rattlesnake.

In 2007, he received a United Nations Ambassador of Peace Award, and in 2010, he was appointed interim president of the AGN. The actor married his wife, Adokiye, in 2003, and the couple had four children.

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Ben-oni Blay (Entertainment Editor) Ben-Oni Quao Blay is an Entertainment Editor at YEN.com.gh with a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Cape Coast. He has over five years of experience in SEO content creation, digital publishing, and audience analytics. Before joining YEN.com.gh, he served as Lead Content Creator and Writer at the International Filmmakers Association (Germany), where he covered film and entertainment. He holds Google certifications in Digital Marketing and SEO. Contact him at benoni.blay@yen.com.gh.