Tony Okuyeme
Veteran filmmaker and media
personality, Ladi Ladebo is dead.
He passed on on Friday, April 16 in London United Kingdom, at age 78, his family announced in a statement.
The statement, signed by Precious Ladebo Osagie for the family, reads: “With gratitude to God for a life well lived, we announce the passing on to glory of our dearly beloved, husband, father and grandfather, Raymond Oladipupo Ladebo who passed away peacefully on Friday the 16th of April 2021 in London United Kingdom; he was 78 years old.
“An intimate memorial service will be held on May 7th, 2021 in London, UK.
“Ladi as he was fondly called, was survived by his wife Irene Ladebo, his three daughters and two grand children.”
Born, May 7, 1942, ‘Uncle Ladi’ as he was known in the film and media circuits in Nigeria, was a renowned producer and director of famous works such as ‘Bisi – Daughter of the River’ (co-author/producer), 1977; ‘Countdown at Kusini’ (co-author/producer) 1974 in collaboration with Ossie Davis; ‘The Silent Sufferer’ (on WF) 1992 in collaboration with UNESCO/UNFPA; ‘Vendor’ (writer/ director) 1987 for MAMSER, and several television serials, including ‘Pariah’ and ‘The Thrift Collector’, which starred ace actors Albert Egbe and maverick artiste, Tar Ukor, among other major stars.
Holder of a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the
Bowling GreenState University, Ohio, USA (1968), he also earned an MBA in Marketing from the New York University Graduate School of
Business in 1969.
Before taking up film production fully, he had worked as Media Analyst/Account Executive with Ogilvy & Mather, New York, USA,
1969-72; Clerk, Central Bank, 1963-65.
A multi-award-winning filmmaker, he earned several laurels while active in his beloved filmmaking venture. These include: Best Script, Best Photography, Best Director and Best Feature Film, for ‘Vendor’ at the first Nigerian Film Festival in 1992.
