Veteran Nigerian Actor Rachel Oniga Dead At 64

Rachel Oniga, among Nigeria's most accomplished acting talents, reportedly died at the age of 64 on Friday night in Lagos.

With over a hundred films to her credit, she had a glittering trail of awards over a three-decade career. Oniga leaves behind countless heartbroken fans in the West African country who are mourning her death. Tributes are pouring in for the Nollywood star on social media.

Some initial reports claimed the cause of Oniga's death was COVID-19. Her family, in a statement, has refuted those reports, revealing she died of a heart-related issue she had been battling for some time before her death. Oniga's son further told media she had malaria and typhoid.

"We accept her sudden transition as God's design and we see it as a function of a race of life well finished," the family statement, posted to Oniga's Instagram account, reads. See below: 

Image: Rachel Oniga / Instagram

Remembering Rachel Oniga And Her Career In Film

Alternatively known as Tabuno, Rachel Oniga became a household name in Nigeria right at the start of her career in the 1990s with successive hits like Owo Blow, Onome, Sango, and Out of Bounds. Prior to stepping into films, Oniga worked for a bit with an engineering consultancy firm. But when the big screen calls, one must go.

In the last decade, she delivered critically acclaimed performances in Doctor Bello and 30 Days in Atlanta. Her work straddled both English and Yoruba languages.

Oniga exited the acting stage after marriage and having three children but returned to the sets after her divorce. As a single mother juggling home and work, and managing her status as one of Nigeria's top celebrities, Oniga's determination to prove she "could stand without any man" drove her forward.

The actor's family has said burial arrangements will be announced to the public in due time and ask for space to mourn her death privately.