Moji Afolayan Opens Up on Father Ade Love’s Sudden Passing After 29 Years

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Nollywood actress and filmmaker Moji Afolayan has reflected on the painful loss of her father, legendary actor and filmmaker Adeyemi Afolayan, popularly known as Ade Love, as the family marks the 29th anniversary of his death.

Speaking in a recent interview, Moji recalled that her father’s passing in 1996 came as a sudden and unexpected shock to the family, especially because he had shown no signs of illness before the incident. According to her, the family had travelled to their hometown for the Christmas holidays, during which an extended family member was also hosting a celebration. It was during that visit that the unthinkable happened.

“My father wasn’t sick before we left Lagos. We had gone to our hometown for Christmas, and one of his father’s co-wives was also celebrating an event. It was there that he suddenly became ill,” she said.

Despite the sudden illness, Ade Love remained conscious enough to express a deep and mysterious farewell to one of his wives, which still echoes in Moji’s memory.

“He was taken from Ilorin to Lagos. While leaving, he asked his youngest wife to follow him, but she said she wanted to stay back and take care of things. Then he said, ‘What if we don’t meet again?’ We didn’t understand what he meant at the time,” Moji recounted.

In her emotional tribute, the actress described her father as an exceptional human being, full of love and compassion. She noted that his presence and care were deeply felt by everyone around him. “My father was a very good man. I pray that I come through him in my next life. He was good and caring to the core,” she added.

Ade Love, who was a pioneer in Nigeria’s film industry, was known for his dynamic presence in the Yoruba movie scene and for fathering a legacy of entertainers, including renowned filmmaker Kunle Afolayan, who is Moji's half-brother.

Moji also touched on the personal and professional challenges she faced as a woman in the film industry, revealing in an earlier interview that she had been blacklisted because she refused to give in to sexual advances from industry figures. Her courage in speaking out has drawn support from many who see her as a beacon of strength and integrity.

As the Afolayan family remembers their patriarch nearly three decades later, the weight of his absence is still deeply felt. Moji’s candid recollection serves as a heartfelt reminder of the personal sacrifices and human stories behind Nigeria’s entertainment icons.

Ade Love may be gone, but his legacy lives on through the films he left behind and the children he inspired to follow in his footsteps.

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