Kira Taiwo, daughter of late veteran Yoruba actor Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, has shared an emotional conversation she had with her father weeks before his death.
Kira posted the exchange on her Instagram Story on Monday, a day after the 66-year-old actor died.
The conversation, dated July 26, showed Ogogo reassuring his daughter while encouraging her to remain strong despite his health condition.
In the exchange, the actor told Kira that seeing her and her sisters happy gave him strength. He also urged her not to cry because it would make him worried.
“Seeing you and your sisters smile is making me strong. If you cry, it will make me sad, and I will start to think,” Ogogo told her.
The actor, who was a Muslim, also encouraged his daughter to remain steadfast in her faith and trust in Allah.
“Be strong. I am strong. Nothing is going to happen to me, insha Allah. If you do, then don’t cry, my princess,” he wrote.
Responding, Kira assured her father that she was not crying and said she trusted in Allah.
“Daddy, I’m not crying oo… don’t mind Haleemah. I trust in Allah, sir. I love you very much,” she wrote.
Ogogo responded simply: “Love u too, my princess.”
The emotional exchange came weeks before Ogogo’s family publicly revealed the severity of his illness and appealed for assistance.
Kira and her sister, Lima Taiwo, had separately appealed for support on Instagram as their father’s condition deteriorated.
Lima disclosed that the family only became aware of the seriousness of the actor’s condition about three weeks earlier, noting that his physical appearance had not initially indicated that he was critically ill.
Kira later revealed that Ogogo had been diagnosed with stage-four cancer and that the hospital treating him could no longer administer chemotherapy, prompting the family to explore other treatment options.
Ogogo died at about 3pm on Sunday, according to a burial announcement by veteran actor Jide Kosoko.
The actor is scheduled to be buried in his hometown, Ilaro, Ogun State, on Monday, in accordance with Islamic rites.
A lying-in-state ceremony is scheduled for 11am at the Pavilion in Ilaro, while the Ilaro Muslim Community announced that the burial prayer will take place at 10am at the Asade Agunloye Pavilion Ground.
Ogogo was one of the prominent figures in the Yoruba film industry, with a career spanning several decades as an actor, filmmaker and director.