Nollywood stars mourn Junior Pope

Nollywood actor John Paul Odonwodo, aka Junior Pope.

Some Nollywood stars have continued to mourn the death of Nollywood actor John Paul Odonwodo, aka Junior Pope.

The actor died with three of his colleagues while returning from a movie location in a boat when they fell into Anam River in Anambra on Wednesday.

His colleagues took to their social media platforms to mourn Junior Pope, who was finally pronounced dead on Wednesday at age 39.

Actress Yvonne Jegede wrote, “I had imagined we would have a thanksgiving service. I was hoping we would flood Asaba to thank God for a second chance, but God knows best.

“This is bad for Nollywood. Please, we should endeavour to implement safety measures on set. I know some production companies do their best to have nurses and health professionals on set.

“But some with small budgets should please consider this and everyone on set, not just actors. The boat itself isn’t good enough to go the distance. Please, while we keep Jnr Pope and family in our prayers, let’s also remember others who died too.”

She added, “Any information on the others? We need to honor our own. I’m so broken. This is a nightmare. @qutejay I pray for strength for you and the entire family right now.”

Actress Rita Edochie said, “At last, after he fought to stay alive, he is gone. Just when I felt a renewed hope running down my spine. The will of God can never be countered.

“It’s still very hard to type R.I.P., so I am not saying anything to you because it’s really a dream.

“It is well. God Almighty, we cannot question you. Chai, what a black Wednesday evening.”

Filmmaker Samuel Olatunji wrote, “Junior Pope is gone finally. What a sad end. May God console his family.”

The national president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Emeka Rollas, confirmed the death of a Nollywood actor on his Instagram page on Thursday.

Rollas wrote, “It is so so sad that our joy was shortlived. My first post was out of excitement when we noticed his tingling fingers. Two notable hospitals tried their best to revive him but to no avail.

“God knows the best. We finally lost him. Mr Friday’s corpse has been identified, but three other corpses are yet to be found.”

(NAN)