Nollywood actor Chijioke “Cjay” Nwokafor has died, throwing colleagues and fans in the Nigerian entertainment industry into mourning.

Actress Nkechi Blessing announced his death on Wednesday in an emotional Instagram post, sharing videos and memories of her time with the actor.

Blessing did not reveal the cause of Cjay’s death but said she had cancelled the scheduled release of her movie, Egusi Ogbono, in his honour. The late actor featured in the movie.

The film was initially scheduled to premiere at 5pm on Wednesday but was withdrawn after a hospital reportedly confirmed Cjay’s death.

According to Blessing, she spoke with the actor around 8am on Wednesday, only to receive news of his death a few hours later.

“Cjay Nwoke Oma, so this is really the end? Omo we had plans. I spoke to you at 8 a.m. today and a few hours later you are no more with us,” she wrote.

“Omo please return if possible because I refuse to type otherwise and this is too much for me to handle.”

The announcement drew reactions from several of Cjay’s colleagues, many of whom expressed shock over his sudden passing.

Actor Charles Born said he had planned to visit Cjay at a clinic before learning of his death.

“Wait what? I was supposed to go see him at the clinic. Is this a joke?” he wrote.

Actor Emeka Nwagbaraocha also expressed disbelief over the news in a post on X.

“Can’t believe CJ is dead mehn. We just texted a few days back! WTF is going on,” he wrote.

“CJ is such a sweet soul, talking about him in past sense is just.”

Cjay began his acting career in 2021 and appeared in several Nollywood productions, including Larry Cold*, Mum Overnight and A Day to My Wedding.

He was an indigene of Anambra State.

As of the time of filing this report, his family and colleagues had not disclosed the cause of death or announced funeral arrangements.