Veteran Nigerian actor Taiwo Hassan, known to millions of fans as Ogogo, died in Lagos on Sunday after a battle with stage-four cancer that hospitals said had progressed too far to treat.
His daughter, Kira Hassan, announced the death during an emotional Instagram Live broadcast. “My daddy is dead. I can’t believe it,” she said. Fellow actor Saidi Balogun confirmed the news separately on Instagram, describing the loss as painful.
The announcement came five days after Kira and her sister, Haleemah, went public with their father’s diagnosis, appealing not for money but for connections to specialists willing to admit him. Several hospitals had turned him away once his condition reached its late stage, the family said at the time. Ogun State governorship candidate Adeola Olamilekan had since offered to help fund his treatment.
Hassan built a five-decade career in Yoruba-language cinema after starting out as an actor in 1981, following years working as an automobile mechanic. He went on to write, produce and direct films alongside acting, and earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards for his role as Alaafin Ademuyiwa in Kunle Afolayan’s “Anikulapo.”
He was born on October 31, 1959, in Ilaro, Ogun State, into a family with a documented history of twins stretching back two generations. He is survived by his children, including Kira and Haleemah, who led the public search for his care in his final weeks.
