Rumoured Death: Olu Jacobs, ‘well and alive’ — Betty Irabor

Following anxiety over the well-being of veteran Nollywood actor, Olu Jacobs, after rumours of his death hit social media on Sunday, publisher and founder of Genevieve Magazine, Betty Irabor, has dismissed the rumours as untrue.

Irabor, a close family associate of Olu Jacobs and his wife, Joke Silva, debunked Jacob’s rumoured death via a post on X, saying, ‘Olu Jacobs is well and alive. Please ignore all rumours of his passing.”

Olu Jacobs has been battling dementia for a couple of years now, and his wife, Joke Silva, spoke about how they are coping with it.

“It hasn’t been easy,” she said.

“It’s almost as if the person you married 80 per cent of the time is no longer there”.

Despite the challenges, Silva expressed her love for her husband and determination to stay by his side.

Dementia is a chronic brain disorder that causes a decline in memory, thinking, and behaviour. It is a progressive disease, meaning that it gets worse over time. There is no cure for dementia, but there are treatments that can help manage the symptoms.

READ ALSO: Joke Silva Opens Up About Husband Olu Jacobs’ Dementia

Joke continued, “But the thing is this, when he was there, he was an amazing man; my husband is an incredible father to his children and an amazing husband, he was practically my best friend. I could share anything with him”.

She mentioned that they had noticed changes in Jacobs’ behaviour early on in his illness until his condition deteriorated.

“I always used to bawl my eyes out, and then there came the point of acceptance,” she said.

The actress further revealed that her husband’s condition makes her feel like she is looking after her father as she now loves Jacobs “differently”.

“So in this journey now, it’s like I am looking after my father, that’s the way it is because the husband I knew is no longer there, but this man that is here is somebody that I still love but love in a different way,” she added.

The Nollywood couple is not only well-respected in the film industry but also admired for their lasting marriage. Joke revealed that they have been married for 37 years but have known each other for 42 years. They dated for five years before getting married and have two children.”