Olu Jacobs marks 82nd birthday days after death rumour

Veteran Nollywood actor, Olu Jacobs, has been celebrated by his colleague and longtime wife, Joke Silva, on his 82nd birthday.

This is coming days after ailing Jacobs’ rumoured death trended on social media. The rumour was later debunked through a video showing the veteran thespian having a haircut.

On Thursday, Silva posted a collage of Jacobs’ old and recent pictures in a short video clip on her Instagram handle @ajokesilva, with a heartfelt caption, “82 just like that? Agba koni nira l’agbara Jesu. Happy birthday and have an amazing year ahead me darling. Sir J of life.”

The video received an outpouring of congratulations from celebrities and fans as they celebrated Jacobs’ milestone birthday, hailing him as a legend and father to the Nollywood industry.

Actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde commented, “Happy birthday to a legend, a father to the industry, an outstanding actor, an incredible soul.”

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Actress and television host, Osas Ighodaro also commented: “Happy Birthday, legend! God bless you immensely.”

Concerns had trailed the actor’s long break from the big screen until November 2021 when his wife publicly revealed that he had been battling Dementia with Lewy Body.

“He is dealing with issues and it has been going on for a couple of years. It is known as dementia with Lewy Body. It is a degenerative disease that affects the brain and it is almost like a Parkinson’s type of disease, it affects the brain so you don’t see the shaking. It affects the person.

“It’s been hard on him because he doesn’t understand what is going on and also on family members as well. We have gone through it over the past couple of years and we thank God.

“We have gone through some times and situations recently that I wish I had the old you here so I don’t battle these times on my own but we are grateful for the moment of clarity. I miss the times we worked together,” Silva had said.