The untimely death of popular Nollywood actor, John Paul Odonwodo widely known as Junior Pope on Wednesday has caused an emotional uproar among his fans across the world.
Junior Pope died in the hospital after he was rescued from a river when a boat he was travelling on along with other actors and crew members capsized.
Since the President of Actors’ Guild Nigeria (AGN), Emeka Rollas officially announced Junior Pope’s death, social media has been busy with conversations about his death and how it could have been prevented.
More so, colleague Nollywood actors and fans across the world continue to pour out their grief through tributes.
Graphic Showbiz brings you all the relevant information you need to know about the late Pope Junior.
Birth
According to Wikipedia, Junior Pope was born John Paul Odonwodo on the May 7, 1983 to a Nigerian father and a Cameroonian mother. He was born in Bamenda, Cameroon.
As much as he is a Nigerian from Ukehe Enugu state, Junior Pope could equally claim to be a Cameroonian. Pope started his primary and secondary education in Cameroon before returning to Nigeria at 18 to study accountancy at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Career beginning
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Junior Pope, in 2006, joined the Nollywood industry and started attending movie auditions and acting as a minor character in movies.
He usually played the role of a bodyguard, palace attendant, or servant in movies.
In 2007, he rose to fame after acting in the Nollywood blockbuster movie “Secret Adventures”, a movie directed by Tchidi Chikere.
He acted in more than 150 Nollywood movies which include: “Secret Adventures”, “Mad sex”, “Bitter Generation”, “Vengeance of Bullet”, “The Cat”, “The Generals”, “Wrong Initiation” among others.
In 2010, he won the award for Nollywood Most Promising Actor in Nigeria at the Entertainment Factory Awards for his role in Chidi Mokeme’s produced movie, Secret Adventures.
He is also known for acting as a criminal, villain, armed robber, militant or hitman in movies alongside Emma Ehumadu, Sylvester Madu, Zubby Michael, Jim Iyke, Alaso Wariboko, Gentle Jack, Hanks Anuku, and Jerry Amilo.
Other awards he won include Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the Africa Magic Viewers Choice (AMVC) Awards and Best Actor of the Year at the Africa Movie Academy (AMA) Awards among others.
Marriage
He tied the knot with his wife, Jennifer Awele, in 2014. They both have three kids together, all of whom are boys. In a video posted on his page hours before he died, Pope spoke about his parents while noting that he is their only child.
He also mentioned that he has three sons at home whom he wants to watch grow up and be their father. Junior Pope’s first son is 10 years old, his second son is eight, and the last is three.
His most notable works Junior Pope paid his dues and earned all the accolades and respect he gets in the movie industry. He is one of the stalwarts of the Asaba division of the Nigerian movie industry.
Some of his most popular films include Bachelor’s Eve, Bitter Generation, The Generals, Wrong Initiation, The Cat, Nwocha, Vengeance Bullet and many others. Pope was also in the Nollywood blockbuster Isakaba alongside Sam Dede.
How he died
Ironically, Junior Pope died while shooting a new movie called, “The Other Side of Life.” Adanma Eluke produced the movie.
He was onboard a boat which was crossing the River Niger from the Warri port while heading to the location with 15 other people.
According to the AGN, along with Pope, three other persons died in the boat mishap, while another three have been declared missing. Eight persons, including actor TC Okafor, survived.
Prophecy about his death
In a report by Legit.ng, a celebrity seer Bright Ndibunwa, aka Bright the Seer, foresaw the tragic boat capsize, which claimed the lives of four actors, including Junior Pope.
In a video, Bright had prophesied that Nollywood actors should pray for their lives. She said that though she was aware that they pray, they should do better because she saw the incident coming.
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