Francis Duru is dead. The actor who played Ahanna in the 1995 film Rattlesnake was 57.

His family announced the death in a statement posted on his official Instagram page in the early hours of Friday, after what they called a brief illness. They did not say what the illness was.

"We, the family of Francis Duru, regret to announce his passing following a brief illness," the statement read. "We appreciate your prayers, love, and understanding. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Amen."

The Actors Guild of Nigeria confirmed it. Its president, Abubakar Yakubu, wrote a short tribute on social media. "Another great thespian is gone. Rest in peace, Francis Duru," he said.

The founder of Best of Nollywood, Seun Oloketuyi, also confirmed the death, and said more details would follow.

Duru came into the industry in 1989, in Missing Mark, directed by the late Ndubuisi Oko. But the country met him properly in 1995, when Amaka Igwe cast him as Ahanna in Rattlesnake.

That role made him a household name, and he held it for thirty years.

He worked across English and Igbo film. His credits include Blood Money, Stigma, Mboputa, Eagle Wings, Nnenda, The Good Husband, Mama Sunday, Total Control, Home in Exile and Merry Men: The Real Yoruba Demons.

He was also a director, a producer and a writer, and for years he hosted events across the country.

In 2010 he served as interim president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria.

In 2020 he won Best Actor in a Leading Role (Igbo) at the Best of Nollywood Awards for his work in Mboputa. In the same year he was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the Africa Movie Academy Awards. He was also named a United Nations ambassador of peace.

His death comes four months after he fought off rumours about his health. In June, a video of him looking frail went round social media, and fans feared the worst.

He answered with a video of his own. He said the footage was fabricated and malicious, and that he was fine.

His last public post, reported to have gone up in September, was a tribute to Olu Jacobs, the veteran he called a mentor and an inspiration.

That detail sits heavy this week. Olu Jacobs died on 16 September at 84, and Nollywood is now burying its second legend inside five weeks.

Duru is survived by his wife, Adokiye, whom he married in 2003 after they met as undergraduates at the University of Port Harcourt, and by their children.

The family lost their 15-year-old son, Ifeanyi, in August 2024.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

For Nigerians of a certain age, Rattlesnake is not a film they watched. It is a room they sat in, and a man on the screen who fought and lost and got up again. That man is gone.

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Editorial note: The writer of this article does not claim to know Francis Duru personally. The information regarding his background and career, as published on Global News Arena, is based entirely on independent internet research.

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