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BREAKING: Nollywood mourns as Taiwo Hassan ‘Ogogo’ dies at 66

Veteran Nollywood actor and filmmaker Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, has died at the age of 66 after battling stage-four cancer.

The actor’s death was reported on Sunday, August 23, 2026, with his daughter, Kira Taiwo, confirming the development during an emotional social-media live session. Multiple Nigerian news outlets, including Nigerian Tribune, PUNCH, Legit.ng and Platform Times, have reported the development. 

Ogogo’s death comes only days after his family publicly revealed the severity of his health condition and appealed for urgent medical assistance.

On August 18, his daughters, Lima and Kira Taiwo, disclosed that the actor was battling stage-four cancer and needed specialised medical treatment. Lima said the family had only discovered the seriousness of his condition about three weeks earlier because his physical appearance had not initially indicated how severely ill he was. 

The family’s appeal followed reports that some hospitals were no longer able to continue his chemotherapy. Kira subsequently appealed to medical professionals, hospitals and anyone capable of providing cancer treatment to come forward.

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The family also stressed that their primary request was for medical assistance rather than financial donations. Kira said some people had approached the family with expensive treatment proposals, allegedly demanding amounts ranging from hundreds of thousands of naira to thousands of dollars. 

The actor’s condition generated widespread concern within the Nigerian entertainment industry, with colleagues and fans rallying around him. Veteran actor Yinka Quadri previously disclosed that the family had received hundreds of offers of medical, spiritual and other assistance from people hoping to help Ogogo. He appealed to Nigerians to continue praying for the actor while the family considered available treatment options. 

There had been confusion earlier in the week after social media users circulated reports claiming that Ogogo had already died. On August 18, his daughter Lima strongly rejected those reports, describing them as fake news and urging the public to stop spreading unverified information. 

However, reports of his death emerged again on Sunday, August 23, with his daughter Kira now confirming the tragic development.

Ogogo was one of the most recognisable figures in Yoruba-language cinema, with a career spanning more than four decades. He worked as an actor, producer and director and reportedly appeared in more than 300 films, establishing himself as one of the prominent figures in Nigeria’s film industry. 

His death has sparked an outpouring of grief among colleagues, fans and lovers of Yoruba cinema, coming just days after Nigerians had rallied around his family in the hope that he would overcome the illness.

The veteran actor’s passing marks the loss of one of the enduring personalities whose work helped shape and popularise Yoruba-language filmmaking in Nigeria.

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