Several Nollywood greats have expressed shock and grief at the death of veteran actor, Ashley Nwosu which occurred April 21 after battling severe live threatening complications at the Military Hospital in Yaba, Nigeria. These actors and industry professional who also share the screen with Ashley speaking to Nigeriafilms.com tagged his death as a great loss to Nollywood. National President of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria, Segun Arinze said Ashley Nwosu death was a great loss to Nollywood in particular and the nation in general. “We have lost yet another fantastic actor. We are going to miss him definitely, because he represented a bundle of talent. It is a rather unfortunate incident. Aside Nollywood, the entire nation will also miss him”, Arinze said. Bond Emereuwa, the National President of the Directors’ Guild of Nigeria, in his tribute called Ashley one of the most amenable personalities in Nollywood. “Working with him was a delight. I tell you Ashley Nwosu was one of the people you will work with and pray that the opportunity to work with him again presents itself. He was one of the amenable personalities in this industry. Many film directors who worked with him will also tell you that. Ashley would work with you without giving you any problems at all. He was a professional to the core.” Paul Obazele, the National President of the Association of Movie Producers, said he was commiserating with the entire industry and Ashley Nwosu’s family over the irreparable loss. According to him, Ashley conducted himself in a manner that attracted so much respect for him, which made him one of the actors most producers loved to work with. “We will definitely miss him. I am in fact short of words to describe him. He was respected among his colleagues, because of the way he conducted himself,” he said. The duo of Aki and PorPor, Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme, who starred alongside Ashley in countless Nollywood movies, said the news came to them as a huge surprise. According to Osita Iheme, (Por Por), he got the news shortly after it happened and was left speechless. “I was shocked and speechless when I got the news this morning. I just could not come to terms with the fact the he was no more. In fact, as I am talking to you now, I am on set with Chinedu at Enugu and the whole artistes here are mourning, everyone is missing Ashley already. He was a nice man. “My experience with him on many sets where he played my dad was memorable. He was the kind of person who would not give you hassles. He did his job like a professional and was always punctual on set. I cannot recollect any incident where he had to hold other artistes up. I am deeply pained,” he said. Another top actor, Emeka Enyiocha, who was also shocked, regretted Nwosu’s sudden exit. He called on stakeholders and relevant government agencies to immortalize the late Nwosu, whom he described as a “big brother and uncle.” Donald Okoli, another highly-rated producer in Nollywood, who worked closely with the late Ashley Nwosu also said, “I knew he was ill, but did not know he would die this early. We will forever miss and mourn his painful exit. Adieu, big uncle,” he lamented. Ashley Nwosu starred in many movies including Glamour Girls Power of Love, Prisoner of Love, Expensive Game, and Passion and Pain amongst others. Besides acting, Nwosu had a hidden passion for music as he revealed before his demise, “Yes I have a very big passion for music. I would say acting was a second talent because when I was 10 years old, I used to entertain people in my community through music,” he told journalists. Story culled from Nigeriafilms.com