…..The actor, director and producer battled stage-four cancer. From ‘Owo Blow’ to ‘Anikulapo’, his voice and proverbs shaped 3 decades of Yoruba cinema
Veteran Yoruba actor and filmmaker Taiwo Babatunde Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, is dead. He died on Saturday, August 23, 2026 at the age of 66 after a battle with cancer. His daughter, Kira Taiwo, confirmed the news during an Instagram Live session, ending days of conflicting reports about his health. With his passing, Nollywood loses one of its most respected voices — a man who turned proverbs into punchlines and discipline into legacy.
Ogogo’s story was one of grit. Born October 31, 1959 in Ilaro, Ogun State, he came from a family with a history of twins — his father and grandfather were both twins too. He attended Christ Church School in Ilaro for primary school and later Gazikia College in Lagos, but had to drop out due to financial hardship.
Before the cameras found him, he worked with his hands. Ogogo trained at a technical college and spent 13 years as an automobile mechanic at the Water Corporation. Acting, however, called early. He joined the stage in 1981 while still fixing engines, and in 1994 he took the bold step of quitting his job to face the industry full-time.
That gamble paid off. He became a household name in the 1990s Yoruba home-video boom. Films like Atitebi (1994), Agbelebu (1995), Danfo Driver (1995), Ekun-Ayo (1996) — which he also wrote and produced — and Owo Blow parts 2 & 3 as Wole Owolabi cemented him as a star. Audiences loved him for his deep voice, sharp Yoruba proverbs, and the way he could switch from stern patriarch to comic relief in one scene.
Ogogo didn’t stop in the VHS era. He reinvented himself for new generations.
In recent years he appeared in major productions including Omo Ghetto (2010) as D.P.O, Tenant of the House (2019), Kunle Afolayan’s Aníkúlápó (2022) and its 2024 sequel Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre as Alaafin Ademuyiwa, and Bank Alert (2023) as Grandpa.Behind the fame, he was known on set as a strict disciplinarian who demanded respect for the craft.
Final Days
In early August 2026, his daughters made a public appeal for medical support after he was diagnosed with stage-four cancer. Five days before his death, the family had debunked rumors that he had passed. On August 23, Kira Taiwo confirmed that he had succumbed.
Tributes have poured in from actors, directors and fans who describe him as a “teacher,” “cultural ambassador,” and “one of the pillars of Yoruba theater.”
Ogogo leaves behind a filmography of over 30 titles and a generation of actors he mentored. For many Nigerians, he didn’t just act — he preserved language, culture, and morality on screen.May his soul rest in peace.
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