The Nigerian entertainment industry has been thrown into mourning following the death of Nollywood actor Chijioke “Cjay” Nwokafor.
Actress Nkechi Blessing announced the actor’s death on Instagram on Wednesday, sharing videos and memories of her time with the late actor.
Although the cause of death was not disclosed, Blessing said she had cancelled the release of her movie, Egusi Ogbono, in his honour. Cjay featured in the movie, which was initially scheduled to premiere at 5pm on Wednesday.
According to the actress, she spoke with Cjay at about 8am on Wednesday before receiving news of his death a few hours later.
She expressed shock and disbelief over the development, saying she had refused to accept that the actor was gone.
Blessing wrote, “Cjay Nwoke Oma, so this is really the end? Omo we had plans. I spoke to you at 8 a.m. today and a few hours later you are no more with us.
“Omo please return if possible because I refuse to type otherwise and this is too much for me to handle.”
Reacting to the news, actor Charles Born said he had planned to visit Cjay at the hospital.
“Wait what? I was supposed to go see him at the clinic. Is this a joke?” he wrote.
Another actor, Emeka Nwagbaraocha, also expressed disbelief over Cjay’s death in a post on X.
“Can’t believe CJ is dead mehn. We just texted a few days back! WTF is going on.
“CJ is such a sweet soul, talking about him in past sense is just,” he wrote.
As of press time, Cjay’s family and colleagues had not disclosed further details about his death or announced funeral arrangements.
Cjay began his acting career in 2021 and featured in several Nollywood productions, including Larry Cold, Mum Overnight and A Day to My Wedding.