Nollywood actor IK Ogbonna has broken his silence following the death of his close friend and colleague, Alexx Ekubo, with an emotional tribute reflecting on their years of friendship.
Ogbonna shared a heartfelt 27-page letter reflecting on their friendship and the dreams they never got to fulfil. He stated they had plans to make movies together and imagined the lives their children would one day share. He urged people to live intentionally and create memories that will outlive them.
Emotional video tribute
In a lengthy Instagram video, Ogbonna paid tribute to Ekubo, reflecting on their friendship and the painful reality of losing someone so close. The emotional message highlighted the depth of their bond, their shared dreams, and the lessons he has drawn from grief.
Ogbonna explained that his friend's death had opened his eyes to some of life's harshest truths. He wrote, "I've come to realize these past few months... Every day we see an ambulance drive past us. Sometimes it's moving fast, sometimes slowly. We look up for a second, whisper, 'God have mercy,' or 'Rest in peace,' then continue with our day. Because somehow, we always believe the person inside belongs to somebody else."
He added that one never truly understands the weight of death "until it's their own person inside an ambulance or until the phone stops ringing forever or until the conversations you thought you had time to finish suddenly become memories."
Reflections on grief and loss
Reflecting on his grieving process, Ogbonna wrote, "For the past two months, I've been trying to understand life. Trying to understand loss. Trying to understand God. Losing Alexx forced me to ask myself questions I'd never really asked before."
He also reminisced about the conversations and dreams they shared. “Alexx and I spoke about everything. We laughed about growing old. We dreamed about businesses—movies we wanted to create. Places we wanted to travel. The lives we imagined for our children. Success. Legacy, Family. We truly believed we had time. Neither of us imagined one of us would leave first. Life had another plan.”
Choosing to live again
Expressing how deeply he misses his friend, Ogbonna continued, “Today... I choose to live again. Not because the pain has disappeared. It hasn't. Not because I don't miss you. I do. Every single day. There are still moments I instinctively reach for my phone, wanting to call you. Moments I hear something funny and think, 'Alexx has to hear this.' Then reality quietly reminds me... I can't.”
Drawing lessons from his experience, the actor encouraged people to cherish their loved ones while they still can. “So today... I choose to keep building. To keep creating. To keep working. Not because life is easy... But because life is precious.”
Advice to cherish relationships
He further advised, “There is one thing I hope you take away from this... Love people while they can still hear you. Tell them you appreciate them while they can still smile back. Forgive quickly. Call your parents. Check on your friends. Spend time with your family. Laugh more. Hold grudges less. Live intentionally. One day, every single one of us will become somebody's memory. The only question is, what kind of memory will we become?”
A celebrated friendship
For years, Ogbonna, Ekubo, and Yomi Casual were regarded as one of Nollywood's closest celebrity friendships. The actors were frequently seen together at movie premieres, industry events and on social media, often referring to each other as brothers. Their public display of support made their friendship one of the most admired in the Nigerian entertainment industry.
