Nigeria’s entertainment industry has been thrown into mourning following the reported passing of veteran Yoruba actor and cultural icon, Chief Lere Paimo MFR, popularly known as Eda Onile Ola. He died at the age of 86 after months of battling ill health.
Grassroots Parrot reports that celebrity journalist and Chairman of the Best of Nollywood Awards, Seun Oleketuyi, announced the death of the movie star in an Instagram post on Saturday.
According to Oleketuyi, Paimo, a cultural icon, survived a stroke twice before his demise.
He wrote, “Chief Lere Paimo (MON) is dead. Baba died at age 86.
“A strong man. Baba survived stroke twice.
“May Baba’s soul rest in peace.”
Sources close to the family also revealed that the actor had been bedridden for over three months, relying on the support and care of a few colleagues before eventually succumbing to the cold hands of death.
Born on November 19, 1939, in Ile Ikoyi Odan, Osupa, Ogbomosho, Oyo State, Chief Lere Paimo rose to become one of the most respected figures in the Yoruba film industry. His father was a tobacco and yam farmer and leader of a local farmers’ organization, while his mother was a trader.
READ ALSO: Veteran Nollywood Actor Baba Gebu Dies After Brief Illness
Paimo attended primary school in Ogbomoso before moving to the Gold Coast (now Ghana), where he furthered his education up to the teacher training college level, earning a Teacher’s Grade II certificate.
Upon returning to Nigeria, he settled in Osogbo and worked as a classroom teacher in a Baptist Missionary School before venturing fully into theatre and film.
A master of stage and screen performance, Lere Paimo featured prominently in numerous Yoruba films and became beloved for his role as Eda Onile Ola, a character that cemented his place in Yoruba folklore and Nollywood history.
In recognition of his immense contributions to the Nigerian film industry, he was honored with the Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) national award in 2005 under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
READ ALSO: Veteran Nollywood Actor Olu Jacobs Dies
Despite suffering a partial stroke in 2013, which he courageously survived, the actor continued to command deep respect across the industry.
In 2014, he won a ₦1 million cash prize on the popular TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, a moment that rekindled nationwide affection for the screen legend.
Although he had not been active in recent movie roles due to failing health, Lere Paimo remained one of the most revered and experienced veterans in Yoruba entertainment.
His death marks the end of a remarkable era in Nigerian performing arts. Tributes have begun pouring in from fans, colleagues and cultural enthusiasts across the country.