Tragic news has emerged from the Nigerian film industry as beloved Nollywood actor Alexx Ekubo has passed away at the age of 40 after a prolonged battle with cancer. His absence from social media and public appearances in recent months had raised alarms among fans and colleagues alike. The last update shared by Ekubo on his social media accounts dates back to December 2024. Alexx Ekubo captivated audiences with his performances in a variety of romantic comedies and dramatic films, including noteworthy titles such as Ladies…

Cynthia Shange, celebrated as the first Black woman to represent South Africa at Miss World during the apartheid era, has died at 76. Her daughter, Nonhle Thema, confirmed her passing and honored Shange’s enduring compassion and influence. Shange became a household name in the 1970s when she took the Miss World stage for South Africa. Under apartheid, Black women were barred from entering Miss South Africa and instead built their own platforms through parallel pageants. Shange captured one of those crowns, winning Miss…

Rev. Jesse Jackson, the towering civil rights leader and one of the United States’ most influential Black voices, died peacefully this morning at 84, his family said, prompting an immediate outpouring of tributes from political leaders and activists at home and abroad. President Donald Trump praised Jackson as “a force of nature like few others before him” and credited himself with helping the iconic minister in his efforts to empower Black Americans. Trump posted his remarks on his Truth Social platform. Former Vice…

James Van Der Beek, the actor who became a late-1990s television touchstone as earnest dreamer Dawson Leery in Dawson’s Creek, has died at 48 after a battle with bowel cancer, his family said Wednesday. “He met his final days with courage, faith and grace,” his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, said in a statement. The series, which ran for six seasons from 1998 to 2003, launched him to stardom and helped define a TV era. Heartfelt tributes poured in from co-stars and friends. Katie Holmes, who starred opposite Van Der Beek,…

Tributes are flooding in for Tito Mboweni, the former Governor of the Reserve Bank and South Africa's Labour and Finance Minister, who sadly passed away following a brief illness. He was 65 years old. Mboweni's political journey began in South Africa’s first democratically elected Cabinet, where he held the position of Minister of Labour from 1994 to 1999. He later took the helm as the Governor of the South African Reserve Bank, serving from 1999 until 2009. His tenure in government culminated in his role as Minister of…

Pravin Gordhan, the former minister and notable anti-apartheid campaigner, has passed away. His legacy is celebrated for his unwavering integrity, exceptional leadership, and courage in combating state capture. Gordhan held the position of Minister of Finance for two significant periods: first from 2009 to 2014, and then again from 2015 to 2017. He also took on the role of Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2014 to 2015, followed by his service as Minister of Public Enterprises from February…

Guadeloupe guitarist Jacob Desvarieux, who died on Friday as a result of Covid-19, was one of the founders of the group Cassav ', a monument in the French Caribbean that achieved huge success in the 1980s by mixing local music to create a style, Zouk. At the age of 65, Jacob Desvarieux was hospitalized on July 12 after being…

Zambia has declared 21 days of national mourning following the death of father Kenneth Kaunda on Thursday at the age of 97. And tributes follow each other from especially southern Africa. Like Zambia, South Africa has declared a period of national mourning: ten days of immediate effect in memory, says Cyril Ramaphosa, of…

La Grande Île paid tribute to its former president Didier Ratsiraka, before being buried in Antananarivo's mausoleum. The funeral procession of the former president stopped at the end of the morning at Iavoloha State Palace, a palace he had also built in 1975. An official ceremony with the current head of state, Didier Ratsiraka's family, relatives, members of his AREMA party and the diplomatic corps…

Lakhdar Bouregaa, 87, was infected with coronavirus. This independence veteran was also a figure for the Hirak protest movement calling for a change in the system at the head of the country. Lakhdar Bouregaa was highly respected by the youth of Hirak. They saw in him a bridge between the 1954 revolution to end colonization and…