‘I only wish you were alive to see this love’

….IK Ogbonna, other stars bid Alex Ekubo farewell at emotional Service of Songs

By Benjamin Njoku

Grief and sorrow filled The Monarch Event Centre in Lekki, Lagos, on Wednesday as Nollywood held a Service of Songs for late actor Alex Ekubo.

The all-white event drew who’s who in the Nigerian entertainment industry. Stars stormed the venue to pay last respects to their colleague whose death on May 11, 2026, at age 40, still feels unreal. Family confirmed the late actor died from complications arising from advanced metastatic kidney cancer.

Tributes poured in from close friends and colleagues. IK Ogbonna, his bosom friend, broke down as he spoke: “I only wish you were alive to witness the love people are showing you right now. I’m glad I had you, not just as a friend, but as a brother…,” he said fighting back tears. He added “You were indeed a soldier, a wise man, a light in every room you entered, and a man full of life. One of those people that you can never imagine would die because he carried life wherever he went.”

Nancy Isime called Alex “a good man” and said everyone who met him left with a smile because of his uplifting nature.

Yemi Alade revealed Alex motivated her to keep pushing music at a critical point in her career and even featured in her hit “Johnny” without charging a fee.

Pastor Ituah Ighodalo prayed for Alex’s widow, Anwuli, to find comfort during the difficult moment. Meanwhile, Abia State governor Alex Otti has begun fixing the road to Ekubo’s country home in Arochukwu ahead of the final funeral service and interment on June 28, 2026. Represented at the event by the wife of popular pastor Jerry Eze, Otti also promised financial support for the family.

Wednesday’s service marks the start of Alex Ekubo’s final journey home. He was loved in life, and the outpouring of emotion at Lekki proved he’s loved in death too.

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