The Same Instagram Page That Mourned Duru’s Son Now Carries His Own Death Notice

“We, the family of Francis Duru, regret to announce his passing following a brief illness.” The statement appeared on the veteran Nollywood actor’s official Instagram page in the early hours of Friday, and it closed with the family’s request: “We appreciate your prayers, love, and understanding. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Amen.” Duru was 57.

The first word had come hours earlier. Late Thursday, Alhaji Abubakar Sanusi Yakubu, national president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, posted a photograph of Duru on social media with the line: “Another great thespian gone…Rest in peace Francis Duru!!” Seun Oloketuyi, founder of the Best of Nollywood Awards, followed with four words: “Francis Duru is dead. Details later.”

Some readers waited before sharing the Thursday posts. Duru had been the subject of false death reports in earlier years, and a viral video in June had set off illness rumors he publicly dismissed. The family’s Friday statement settled it.

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The statement landed on a page that had carried two death notices before. On August 8, 2024, Duru himself used this account to announce the death of his 15-year-old son, Ifeanyi: “My champ! My lion, you fought like a lion. If this is the way He wants it, so be it, I still judge you faithful.” His closing lines ran: “Ifeanyi, my champ. I will miss you, son. I will forever love you. Rest in peace, son, rest. I give you thanks, Lord!” Ifeanyi had turned 15 the previous December. Duru later said the loss was painful but that he had moved on.

Five weeks earlier, on September 17, Duru had returned to the page with another farewell, this time for his mentor, Olu Jacobs: “A true and thoroughbred thespian you were, uncle Olu. You were a mentor, a teacher, an inspiration to our generation. It was indeed an honour to have worked with you in different capacities. You have left a big shoe. It will be difficult to find a feet that will match.” He added: “But you have left footprints of in-depth professionalism…discipline, utmost dedication…it was a school each time we worked together…I learnt so much…as it hurts so much…Rest on, sir…you were a good man…Rest on, General.” The post stands as his last public message.

Duru was born on July 27, 1969, in Cameroon to Nigerian parents from Imo State, and he studied Theatre Arts at the University of Port Harcourt, graduating in 1996. He made his screen debut in Missing Mark in 1989, a film directed by Ndubuisi Oko, and he became a fixture of Nigerian film as Ahanna in Amaka Igwe’s Rattlesnake in 1995. Blood Money, Stigma, Merry Men: The Real Yoruba Demons and Blood Vessel followed over the decades. His performance in Mboputa won him the Best of Nollywood award for Best Actor in the Igbo category in 2020.

The office that broke his death news was one he had held himself. Duru served as interim president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria in 2010, and the guild’s current national president carried the first notice to the industry on Thursday. He also received the United Nations Ambassador of Peace award in 2007 for his influence on young people. In the early hours of Friday, Nollywood actress Uche Jombo marked the news on her verified Facebook page with a plain black image.

In 2003, he married Adokiye, whom he had met at the University of Port Harcourt. They had four children. The family has not named the illness.