The Nigerian film industry has been thrown into mourning following the death of Nollywood actor Chijioke Nwokafor, popularly known as Cjay, after a brief illness.
Cjay, whose cause of death had yet to be ascertained, was pronounced dead by medical experts in Lagos shortly after he visited a hospital.
Nollywood actress Nkechi Blessing announced the Lagos-based actor’s death in a video posted on Instagram on Wednesday.
Blessing also disclosed that following the death of her colleague, her movie, Egusi Ogbono, which was scheduled for release at 5 p.m. on September 30, had been cancelled.
Cjay was one of the lead actors in the yet-to-be-released movie, which was produced by Blessing.
“Cjay, this was never the plan,” she wrote.
Cjay, a native of Awka, Anambra State, began his professional acting career in 2021 and featured in several Nollywood productions, including Larry Cold, Mum Overnight, A Day To My Wedding, The Lies She Tell and What Time Left.
Details surrounding Cjay’s death and funeral arrangements were yet to be made public as of the time of filing this report.