Veteran actor, Fabian Adibe, who dominated the movie scene for nearly four decades, is dead.
He was 81.
Seun Oloketuyi, founder and CEO of Best of Nollywood (BON), confirmed the actor’s death on his Instagram page on Wednesday.
Oloketuyi wrote: “‘Things Fall Apart’ actor, Fabian Adibe, is dead. He died at 2:30 a.m. this morning.”
As of press time, the cause of his death remains unknown, as Oloketuyi did not disclose this while breaking the news.
Fabian Adibe
The late actor and television personality represented Nigeria at her first Commonwealth Arts Festival in 1965.
He began his professional acting career in 1987 with the critically acclaimed Nigerian television series “Things Fall Apart”, where he portrayed the character Ogbuefi Uzowulu alongside Pete Edochie.
Other notable co-stars in the movie, including Justus Esiri and Sam Loco Efe, have since passed away.
Before fully venturing into film, he worked with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) until his retrenchment on 25 May 1984.
PREMIUM TIMES reported in March 2022 that the late Adibe disclosed that he quit acting 12 years earlier, citing issues of “packaging.”
On 1 December 2013, he marked his 70th birthday with the launch of his debut book, *Mixed Grill*.
Adibe rose to further prominence with his role in the Nollywood classic “Living in Bondage” (1993), a landmark production that helped shape modern Nigerian cinema.
Throughout his career, he became renowned for portraying figures of authority such as elders, kings, fathers, fathers-in-law, and brothers.
He featured in more than 300 films, including “Slave Warrior”, “White Kingdom 2”, and “Father”, among others.
His versatility also extended beyond Nollywood, with appearances in international productions such as “Soweto”, a story centred on the struggle in South Africa, and the Hollywood feature “Mr Johnson.”