Veteran Nigerian actor Jimi Solanke is dead.

The veteran actor and playwright died on Monday at the age of 81. He is reported to have passed while being taken to the Babcock University Teaching Hospital.

The actor had been unwell about a month prior to his passing.

Reacting to his passing, President Bola Tinubu released a statement through his spokesperson to mourn the actor’s passing.

“It is with a heavy heart that President Bola Tinubu receives the news of the passing of Nigeria’s creative icon, Mr. Jimi Solanke, who died on Monday. Baba Solanke was an actor, dramatist, folk singer, poet, and playwright.”

“President Tinubu mourns the literary and cultural virtuoso and describes him as one of the finest of Nigeria’s creative artists and bastion of our cherished mores and cultural heritage. The President condoles with the Solanke family and all those who mourn this painful loss while praying for the peaceful repose of the beloved departed.”

Born on July 4, 1942, in Ipara Remo, Jimi Solanke’s artistic journey began as a pioneer member of the Orisun Theatre Group, founded by the renowned Wole Soyinka, in 1961.

His contributions to the global entertainment industry spanned seven decades, leaving an indelible mark on various platforms, from Western Nigeria Television in the 1960s to international festivals in Senegal and Algeria during the 1970s.

Solanke’s versatility shone through epic performances such as “Death and the King’s Horseman,” “Kurunmi,” “Kongi’s Harvest,” “The Divorce,” and “Ovaramwen Nogbaisi.”

The Oxford Times hailed him as a “Skilled Nigerian Actor,” and the New York Times recognized him as the star of an “Excellent Troupe” during a performance of Wole Soyinka’s “Kongi’s Harvest.”