Diewait Ikpechukwu, veteran Nollywood actor famous for his traditional chief roles, has died at the age of 71, sparking tributes from movie fans.
Veteran Nollywood actor Diewait Ikpechukwu has died at 71, and his passing has left a lasting mark on the Nigerian film industry he spent decades building up. Word of his death quickly spread among fans, colleagues and movie lovers who grew up watching him on screen.
Those who watched Nollywood movies back in the VHS and VCD days will most likely remember him. You would see his face in many of the old traditional films, particularly the ones about village life, kings and their kingdoms.
He was mostly seen playing an Igwe, a village chief or an elderly man in the family. That deep voice of his was something else. Once he started talking, you could tell he was the one everyone had to respect. He fitted those roles so well. There was hardly a traditional Nollywood movie from that era where actors like him didn’t leave an impression.
Diewait Ikpechukwu
Ikpechukwu spent many years in the industry and worked alongside several familiar faces. His contribution came during a period when Nigerian home videos were finding their way into homes across the country and Nollywood was growing into what it is today.
News of his passing has brought back memories for many movie lovers, with fans and fellow actors remembering the films they watched him in over the years. Diewait Ikpechukwu
Details of his burial arrangements are expected to be made public by his family in due course.
May he rest in peace.
Meanwhile; Veteran Nollywood actor Francis Duru has died after a brief illness, his family confirms in a statement shared on his verified social media account. Diewait Ikpechukwu
Veteran Nollywood actor Francis Duru is dead, following what his family describes as a brief illness.
The news has hit hard across Nollywood, leaving fans and colleagues in mourning for an actor whose face has been part of Nigerian screens for as long as many can remember.
His family broke the news through a statement posted on his verified social media page, where they also asked for prayers and understanding as they deal with the loss. Diewait Ikpechukwu
“We, the family of Francis Duru, regret to announce his passing following a brief illness,” the statement read. “We appreciate your prayers, love, and understanding. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Amen.”
Since then, tributes have been coming in from people within the industry. The National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Alhaji Abubakar Sanusi Yakubu, shared his own tribute on Thursday, October 22, calling Duru another great thespian gone.
For those who may not know, Duru had been around in Nollywood for decades, appearing in one film after another and becoming a familiar name to generations of Nigerians who grew up watching him on screen. Diewait Ikpechukwu
Among everything he did in his career, his role in Rattlesnake back in 1995 remains one people still talk about today, a film that’s gone down as one of the important ones in Nigerian cinema. He never really slowed down after that, continuing to take on roles that reached viewers both at home and abroad.
What makes this news a little harder to sit with is that it’s coming not too long after rumours about his health first popped up online. A video had surfaced back in June 2026 that got a lot of people speculating, and he eventually addressed it himself, pushing back on claims that he was fighting a terminal illness and insisting they weren’t true.
At that point, he told fans he was fine and didn’t hold back when criticising how quickly misinformation like that could spread.
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