Nollywood veteran and filmmaker Abiodun Aleja is dead
Nollywood veteran actor, theatre guru, dancer, and filmmaker Abiodun Aleja has died following a fall which put him in a coma.
The October 1 actor died on Friday, according to his wife. Mrs Aleja broke the news to the chairman of the Lagos chapter of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANATAP) Makinde Adeniran.
His death comes weeks after he was admitted to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH); after he fell in his home. Aleja went into a coma after the fall. Reports say he woke up some days later at the hospital. The actor was reportedly recuperating before his tragic death.
“Colleagues in NANTAP and others even raised funds for his medical treatment; especially when a one million naira deposit was demanded. He came out of coma and was recuperating but now this…” a source told media outlet Qed.ng on Friday night.
Abiodun Aleja was a contributor to several Nollywood flicks and a collaborator with Kunle Afolayan and Tunde Kelani.
Tributes came in for Aleja from people he inspired in the film industry. See some of the tweets below:
RIP Mr. Abiodun Aleja. You gave me the cameras to shoot my first pilot and all through my career treated me as a son and an equal even I was never on your level. You used to tease me when my team lost and told me repeatedly how proud you were of me. My heart is ripped apart. pic.twitter.com/gAP6jUyOtZ
— Big Cuz (@imohumoren) May 22, 2021
You forgot hard to keep going but I guess God needed you more, I’d miss you so fucking much!!! Rest in power daddy, my twin 🥀🥀❤️❤️ I love you pic.twitter.com/OKqVg4JZtl
— Abiodun-Aleja (@Tobialeja) May 21, 2021
This man carefully pointed out my errors, advised me and directed me to the right sources when I was learning how to write a script. We interacted like friends. His humility shocked me. RIP Mr. Abiodun Aleja. I'm grateful. https://t.co/1JkXbUiNhp
— Ímàn AdéyẹmÍ (@iman_adeyemi) May 22, 2021