BY PELUMI BOLAWA
Dejumo Lewis, the ace Nigerian actor, has died at the age of 80.
Saidi Balogun, the Yoruba movie star, took to his Instagram page on Saturday to announce the death of the veteran actor.
Balogun accompanied the post with a picture of Lewis. He also prayed that the thespian’s “soul rest in peace”.
“Good night DEJUMO LEWIS, may your soul rest in perfect peace. Rip,” he wrote.
Tributes have begun to pour in for the deceased actor, with several Nollywood stars offering their condolences.
Lewis gained fame following his role as Kabiyesi (king) in ‘The Village Headmaster’, the longest-running Nigerian soap opera — which aired on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) from 1968 to 1988.
Lewis also starred in ‘Agogo Eewo’ (2002), a sequel to the 1999 film, written by Akunwunmi Isola and produced by Tunde Kelani.
Lewis was born in Lagos, where he had his primary and secondary school education.
Because of his background and interest in priesthood, he attended the Christian seminary school for 10 years.
He obtained a degree in Arts Communication from the University of Ibadan.
Lewis was first employed as a programmer before finally joining the entertainment industry in the 1980s.
The ace actor also performed in several Yoruba and English movies including ‘A Place in the Stars’, ‘Crossroads’, and ‘Power of 1’.
In his tribute, Raphael James wrote: “Good night ‘Kabiyesi’, the ‘Kabiyesi’ we all knew growing up in the 1970s-80s, Sir Dejumo Lewis who played the lead role of ‘Kabiyesi’, in ‘The Village Headmaster’, a television series which was Nigeria’s longest-running television soap opera on NTA 1968- 1988. He lives on.”
