Alaafin commiserates with Ogogo family

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The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, on Monday, described the late Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, as a “fallen great tree whose roots and fruits would nourish generations to come.

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“Though the drumbeat of late Hassan’s life has hushed, the rhythm of his wisdom and art will echo through time forever,” Alaafin stated.

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In a condolence message through his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye, in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Alaafin said, “A true custodian of our heritage has gone to rest. The light of a single, brilliant flame has faded out, yet its glow remains in our collective history.”

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PUNCH Online reports that the Veteran Nollywood actor Hassan, widely known as Ogogo, passed away at the age of 66 on Sunday, August 23, 2026. He died following a battle with stage-four cancer, and his death was confirmed by the family on Saturday.

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Alaafin said, “The world lost a giant, whose spirit lives on in every life he inspired. An irreplaceable voice has gone quiet, but the echo of his art would ring through generations. You carried our history and our pride with grace. A single light has gone out, yet its brilliance will continue to guide us.”

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Owoade pointed out that through his remarkable career, late Hassan entertained generations while showcasing and preserving the rich cultural values of the Yoruba people on stage and screen.

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He said, “Anything you lose comes round in another form. Let the waters settle, and you will see the moon and the stars. The wound is the place where the Light enters you. Only from the heart can you touch the sky. Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along. For nothing is fixed, forever, forever, forever, it is not fixed; the earth is always shifting, the light is always changing, the sea does not cease to grind down rock.”

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While commiserating with the bereaved families for the loss of their beloved one, Alaafin retorted thus, “We mourn the loss of a rare cultural pillar, yet we celebrate an immortal legacy that will forever shape our identity.”

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