George Ogunde, the eldest child of the late theatre icon Hubert Ogunde, has passed away. His sister, Dayo Ogunde, announced the news on Facebook on Thursday.
“It’s hard to say goodbye, Brother mi, our first child in the Ogunde clan. But we take solace in the fact that you are in a better place. You were such a wonderful and friendly soul. May your soul continue to rest in the bosom of your maker. Goodnight, George Ogunde. Omo Gbegande Esiwu Ijoku,” she wrote.
Like his late father, George Ogunde was also a theatre practitioner and had his own troupe. He was captured in an emotionally overwhelmed state last year as he marked his birthday.
George’s younger brother, Owobo Ogunde, recently played the role of Bashorun in Kunle Afolayan’s film “Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre.” Another of Hubert Ogunde’s daughters, Afolabi Ogunde-Kikiowo, passed away in September 2019.
Hubert Ogunde, born in 1916 and deceased in 1990, was a prominent Nigerian actor, playwright, theatre manager, and musician. He is widely regarded as the father of Nigerian theatre and played a crucial role in the development of contemporary theatre in Nigeria.
In a 2022 interview, one of Hubert Ogunde’s sons, Mr. Oluwemimo Ogunde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former Attorney General of Ogun State, reminisced about his father’s life and legacy.
