BARELY 24 hours after the death of Nollywood actor, Obinna Nwafor, popularly known as Saint Obi, broke, the Nigerian movie industry has been thrown into sadness once more as renown Yoruba actor and filmmaker Murphy Afolabi has been announced dead.

Afolabi died in the early hours of Sunday, May 14 from injuries he sustained after falling down in the bathroom.

His death was confirmed by one of his colleagues in the industry, veteran film director and producer, Tunde Ola-Yusuf, via his social media platforms (Facebook and Instagram)

“REST IN PEACE… May God give the family and close associates the fortitude to bear the loss. Good night Muphy Afolabi”, he wrote on his Facebook wall.

“We lost a strong filmmaker Murphy Afolabi. May God rest your soul bro,” he also wrote on his Instagram.

Afolabi recently celebrated his 49th birthday on Thursday, May 5.

The actor was born on May 5, 1974, in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria and began his acting career in the late 1990s.

He had appeared in numerous Yoruba language movies and was also a movie producer. He produced several successful movies, including ‘Igberaga’, ‘Awele’, and ‘Asise’.

Afolabi won several awards for his performances, including the City People award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Yoruba) in 2014, and the Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Yoruba) at the Best of Nollywood Awards in 2015.

He was well known for his versatile acting skills and his ability to interpret roles in a convincing and realistic manner.

Some of his fans took to the social media to mourn his demise.

One wrote, “You graced our screen with your loving intonation. Our light skinned ibile. I see you in movies and start laughing waiting for you to speak. Your incantations with Ibadan accent was top notch. You gave us memes that will stand the test of time. Murphy Afolabi, Rest easy. 🕯🕯🕯”…@lollypeezle”

Saint Obi was reported to have died from a protracted illness. In his hay days the Nollywood star starred in romance movies as well as action movies.

Some of his works include ‘Festival of Fire’, ‘Executive Crime’ and ‘Last Party’.

According to an actor Kunle Afod, aside Saint Obi and Afolabi, the movie industry lost two other persons; an actor Adedigba Mukaila (Alafin Oro) and  a crew, Techno sound.

On his Instagram, Afod wrote  “Black weekend in the industry. We lost 4 people in the space of 2 days… RIP Murphy Afolabi, RIP Saint OBI,  RIP Adidigba, RIP Techno sound”.