Veteran actor Olu Jacobs buried in Lagos after memorial tributes
Nollywood veteran Olu Jacobs has been buried in Lagos after a funeral service attended by family, colleagues, friends and public figures. Jacobs, who died aged 84 on September 16, was remembered as a major figure in Nigerian theatre, television and film and as a co-founder of the Lufodo Group.
Veteran Nigerian actor Olu Jacobs has been buried in Lagos after a funeral service attended by relatives, friends, colleagues and prominent public figures. Jacobs died aged 84 on September 16. His burial followed a service in Lekki, Lagos, held a day after entertainment-industry figures and other well-wishers gathered for a Night of Tributes and Service of Songs.
Those present at the funeral included Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat and his wife, Oluremi Hamzat; Lagos First Lady Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; former Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun; and former Ekiti State First Lady Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi. Jacobs’s widow, actress Joke Silva, attended with their sons, Olusoji and Olugbenga. Family members wore blue.
Mr Hamzat described the late actor as an icon of the entertainment industry in a statement posted on X and offered condolences to his family. Singer-songwriter Dare Art Alade performed his song “Pray for Me” during the service. Actors including Shaffy Bello, Keppy Ekpeyong, Stan Nze, Ireti Doyle, Kate Henshaw, OC Ukeje and Stephanie Okereke were also listed among those attending.
Known as the “Lion of Lufodo”, Jacobs had a career spanning more than five decades in theatre, television and film. He trained at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in British theatre and television before returning to Nigeria. He later became a prominent Nollywood figure, often playing traditional rulers, chiefs and family patriarchs.
In 1989, he married Joke Silva. Together they founded the Lufodo Group and later established the Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts.
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