The Nigerian movie industry has thrown into mourning over the death of veteran actor, Francis Duru. The family of the Nollywood actor announced his demise in the early hours of Friday, October 23, 2026. He was 57.
According to a statement shared via his official verified Instagram page, francis.duru, the actor died after a brief illness.
The statement read: “We, the family of Francis Duru, regret to announce his passing following a brief illness. We appreciate your prayers, love, and understanding. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Amen”
This sad event comes about two years after the actor lost his youngest son, Ifeanyi, in 2024.
Since the news of his demise, friends and fans have taken to their X accounts to mourn the actor.
Abubakar Sanusi Yakubu (President, Actors Guild of Nigeria): Was among the first to officially confirm and mourn the actor online. In an emotional social media post, he wrote: “Another great thespian gone…. Rest in peace Francis Duru!!”
Movie star Kunle Remi took to his social media account and wrote, “God, please comfort his family.”
Celebrity fashion designer, Yomi Casual posted, “Lord!!!! please have mercy on us all.”
Delectable actress, Linda Ejiofor, while mourning, wrote, “Ohhhh nooo. May his soul rest in peace.”
Already on X, the news of the demise of the actor is trending as friends and fans condole with the family of the deceased. Most of the post show his fans sad with the rate of deaths among legends while they share clips of some of the actor’s work.
Adebanji with his verified X account, @prinxe_B shared a video the late actor posted some days ago denying that he was ill. The X account user captioned the video, “I swear, we are all working corpse. This was Francis Duru a few days ago when he debunked rumours of him being terminally ill, clarifying that viral videos suggesting otherwise. That means he was truly critically ill. So sad Rest in Peace Francis Duru.”
I swear, we are all working corpse.
This was Francis Duru few days ago when he debunked rumours of him being terminally ill, clarifying that viral videos suggesting otherwise.
That mean he was truly critically ill.
So sad
Rest in Peace Francis Duru https://t.co/rCCUhQipCc— A. Adebanji (@prinxe_B) October 23, 2026
A X user shared how he met the actor last year and tried to impress him. Adebisi using the handle @adebisi94444461 wrote, “Saw him at a function in Minna last year and was hoping to impress him when I climb the stage but the opportunity never come cause the governor came in earlier than expected…. RIP.”
@princess_ehmy tweeted, “Francis Duru one of our best childhood actors passed away. This is very painful to see many Nigerian heroes pass away to the soil.
“The family of veteran Nollywood actor, Francis Duru, has announced his passing in the early hours of Friday, October 23, 2026.According to a statement shared via his official verified Instagram page francis.duru, the actor died after a brief illness. He died at 57 years. May his soul rest in peace.”
SOURCE: LEADERSHIP NEWS PAPER