The Nigerian entertainment industry is in mourning today following the death of Alexx Ekubo, one of Nollywood’s most recognisable and celebrated actors, who passed away on Tuesday in Lagos after a prolonged battle with kidney cancer. He was 40 years old.
Tragedy struck the Nigerian entertainment industry as news of the actor’s passing emerged, with TVC confirming his death following complications from illness. Family, friends, and fans are deeply devastated by the heartbreaking loss, which has left a void in the Nollywood industry.
A Nollywood source confirmed that Ekubo had been battling kidney cancer and was rushed to hospital on Monday. The actor passed away on Tuesday afternoon after spending hours on life support.
In hindsight, the warning signs had been accumulating for months. Alexx Ekubo had been absent from social media since December 2024, a disappearance that triggered growing concern among his fans and fellow celebrities, with several rumours about his health circulating online.
When those concerns reached a crescendo in May 2025, his colleague actor Stanley Ontop stepped forward with what appeared to be a reassuring update. Stanley Ontop described the health rumours as false, stating that Ekubo was in good health and doing great explaining that the actor had stepped away because the media had become too toxic and that he had taken time from social media and work to regain his sanity, noting that “depression is real.” The fuller picture, it now appears, was far more serious than that account suggested.
Ekubo was rumoured to be suffering from serious health issues as far back as May 2025, following months of social media disappearance. He never returned to public view. On Monday, 11 May 2026, he was rushed to hospital. By Tuesday afternoon, he was gone.
Alexx Ekubo-Okwaraeke was born on 10 April 1986 in Arochukwu, Abia State, in south-eastern Nigeria. He attended Federal Government College Daura in Katsina State before studying law at the University of Calabar, where he graduated with an LLB in 2008.
His entry into entertainment came through modelling and pageantry he was first runner-up at the 2010 Mr Nigeria contest before his film career gathered unstoppable momentum. He rose to prominence through the Nollywood blockbuster Weekend Getaway and went on to accumulate credits in more than 100 films, including Omo Ghetto: The Saga, The Bling Lagosians, The First Lady, Zero Hour, and A Sunday Affair, frequently portraying charismatic or comedic characters whose performances blended humour, emotional depth, and commercial appeal.
He gained additional recognition after starring in Yemi Alade’s hit music video Johnny, a role that earned him a nickname “Johnny” that followed him throughout his career. He also appeared in numerous television productions including Tinsel, Hope Bay, and AY’s Crib, where he played the character JJ from 2013 to 2015.
Beyond the screen, Ekubo was equally committed to humanitarian work. In 2020, the United Nations named him one of the Most Influential People of African Descent Under 40 for his contributions to entertainment and social development across the continent. He was awarded the Global Social Giving Actor of the Year by the Nigerian National Awards in 2021, and was recognised as Rotary Youth Ambassador of the Year in 2023 under Rotary International District 9142.
Despite his fame, Ekubo was known for maintaining a deliberately private lifestyle, using his platform primarily to advocate for social causes and youth empowerment rather than to court celebrity attention. That privacy extended to his personal heartbreaks. In May 2021, he and his fiancée Fancy Acholonu announced their wedding plans a traditional wedding in Imo State in November and a white wedding in Lagos the same month. In August 2021, Acholonu called off the engagement publicly, confirming the end of their relationship in a statement that shocked their many admirers.
The years that followed were marked by a quieter, more withdrawn public presence. Those who followed him closely had noticed the gradual dimming of a light that had once seemed inexhaustible. His last social media post came on 30 December 2024. After that, silence and then, today, the finality of news that the silence could no longer be mistaken for rest.
Tributes began pouring in across social media within minutes of the news breaking, with Nollywood colleagues, fans across West Africa, and supporters from the wider African diaspora expressing shock and grief. Many recalled specific scenes, specific films, specific moments in which Ekubo had made them laugh, had moved them, had made them feel something true about the world they lived in.
He was 40 years old. He leaves behind a body of work that spans two decades, a humanitarian legacy that extended far beyond entertainment, and a hole in the Nollywood landscape that will not easily be filled.
Details of funeral arrangements had not been released at the time of publication. Ground Report Africa will continue to update this story as further information becomes available.
