Nigerian film star Alexx Ekubo has died at age 40 after a battle with cancer, his family announced Monday. He passed away in a Lagos private hospital due to complications from "advanced metastatic kidney cancer," according to a family statement on his Instagram page. The actor, best known for roles in Weekend Getaway and Yemi Alade's 2013 music video Johnny, leaves behind a career spanning nearly two decades and nine awards.
Ekubo's family described his fight as "a brief but courageous battle" and requested privacy and prayers. "Throughout this difficult journey, he bore his pain with remarkable strength, unwavering faith, and enduring hope, believing that one day his testimony would be shared with the world," they wrote. Tributes poured in from Nollywood colleagues, including Funke Akindele, who co-starred with Ekubo in the 2020 comedy Omo Ghetto - The Saga. "I tried to reach out. To see you one more time but guess you knew best," she posted. Filmmaker Lancelot Imasuen, who gave Ekubo his first film role, called his death "devastating and unbelievable."
The late star, born April 10, 1986, in Rivers State, graduated with a law degree from the University of Calabar before breaking into stardom in 2010 after competing in Mr Nigeria. He made his acting debut in 2005's Sinners in the House and won Best Supporting Actor at the Best of Nollywood Awards in 2013 for Weekend Getaway. His accolades included Best of Nollywood's Best Actor of the Year (2016) and Best Lead Actor (2022), a Special Recognition Award from Nigeria's First Lady in 2018, and induction into the UN's Most Influential People of African Descent under 40 in 2020. He also received an honorary doctorate in arts and culture from Institut Supérieur de Communication et de Gestion in Benin in 2021.
Ekubo's humanitarian work earned him a Nigerian National Award of Excellence as Global Social Giving Actor of the Year in 2021 and a Certificate of Excellence from the Sapio Club. He briefly courted controversy in 2021 when his fiancée, Nigerian-American actress Fancy Acholonu, ended their engagement three months before their wedding. His last Instagram post appeared in December 2024, sparking health concerns before his death.