Firstborn of theatre icon Hubert Ogunde is dead

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George Ogunde, the first child of the late theatre great Hubert Ogunde, has died.

On Thursday, his sister, Dayo Ogunde, posted the sad news on Facebook.

“It’s painful to say goodbye to Brother mi, our first child in the Ogunde clan. But we take comfort in the idea that you’re in a better place.

“You were such a great, pleasant person. May your spirit continue to rest in the bosom of its creator.

“Goodnight George Ogunde.

“Omo Gbegande Esiwu Ijoku,” Dayo Ogunde wrote.

George Ogunde, like his late iconic father, was also a theatre practitioner and had his own troupe.

His younger brother, Owobo Ogunde, portrayed Bashorun in Kunle Afolayan’s film Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre.

One of Hubert Ogunde’s daughters, Afolabi Ogunde-Kikiowo, passed away in September 2019.

Hubert Ogunde was a famous Nigerian actor, playwright, theatre manager, and musician. He was born in 1916 and died in 1990.

Ogunde is widely considered as the father of Nigerian theatre, having played a pivotal influence in the growth of contemporary theatre in Nigeria.

In a 2022 interview, Mr Oluwemimo Ogunde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Attorney General of Ogun State, reminisced about his father’s life and times.

The family has yet to issue an official statement regarding the cause of death, location, burial plans, and other information.