Popular Yoruba actor, producer and singer, Jimoh Aliu, is dead.
Aliu, a seasoned artist, producer, location designer, director, make-up artist and singer, who was popularly known as Aworo, died on Thursday at the age of 85 in at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti of medical conditions yet to be disclosed to the public.
One of his sons, Rasaq Aliu, confirmed the death of the actor to journalists. There are speculations that his remains will be moved to his home at the Adebayo area in Ado-Ekiti before being taken to his hometown at Okemesi-Ekiti in Ekiti West Local Government where he will be interred on Friday (today).
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The deceased was born on November 11, 1939 in Okemesi, Ekiti West Local Government Area of Ekiti State. Aworo , who was a Muslim, was also a tradionalist who learnt ‘Ifa’ divination from his father.
He began acting in 1959 when he joined the late Hubert Ogunde theatre group. He left the group to form his own in 1966.
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He joined the Nigerian Army in 1967 during the civil war and left in 1975.
Some of his famous television dramas of the 1970s 80s and 90s include Arelu and Yanpin Yanrin and featured iconic characters like Fadeyi and Orisabunmi.
The late Aliu is survived by two wives, Bola and Folashade. He had children from the two women. He was married to a fellow movie star, Folake Aremu aka Orisabunmi, for over a decade before they parted ways.
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Meanwhile, Aliu’s death has attracted reactions from his colleagues. Popular actor, Yomi Fash Lanso, said: “It’s the end of an era. It’s so pathetic and painful. We have lost another library of culture and tradition. We can only pray that God grants him eternal rest with the hope that we can continue to have such a revered veteran in Nigeria and Yoruba land because he was a human library with a fountain of knowledge.”
Another actor, Yomi Fabiyi, said: “Jimoh Aliu was a legend. He was one of the very few who could lay claim to pioneer status in acting and movie making in Nigeria.”
After years of success on the airwaves, the late Aliu was honoured with a National Merit Award of Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) in December 2005 by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.
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