Veteran Nollywood actor Dele Odule has described a challenging period in his life when he considered ending his acting profession and paid for his own funeral.
The actor from the 1970s claimed that the incident happened in Abeokuta during a time of extreme despair in an interview with Feelright TV.
Odule claimed that while struggling with the idea that his career had stagnated, he went to a casket shop with coworker Olaiya Igwe.
The sight is said to have moved Olaiya Igwe to tears.
“I had priced my own casket before, when I was in a state of hopelessness, and complete loss of hope in Abeokuta. Olaiya Igwe went there with me. “Olaiya started crying like a baby,” he said.
Odule stressed that his despair was not linked to illness but stemmed from frustration over his career trajectory.
According to him, he felt overshadowed by former classmates who had achieved greater success while he struggled to find industry breakthroughs.
ALSO READ: Veteran Actor Dele Odule Denies Death and Child Molestation Rumours
“I wasn’t sick, I just believed I could no longer have breakthroughs in the industry. I was fed up. Because all my schoolmates are doing far better than I am and my life was nothing to write home about,” he added.
The actor rose to prominence in 1993 with his role in the Yoruba classic ‘Ti Oluwa Nile’ and has remained a prominent figure in the Nigerian film industry since beginning his career in the 1970s.
In February 2025, Dele Odule denied rumours of his death. Reacting to the news in a video shared on his Instagram page, Dele Odule said he is very much alive.
Expressing his disappointment and frustration at the reports, he said,
“There is nothing wrong with me, I’m very much alive. I don’t know why someone would wish me dead.
“This is uncalled for, barbaric, and not fair.”
While also addressing another report of his arrest over child molestation, he questioned the motives behind the false rumors.
“What for? Don’t try to bring me down. If you come at me, you are coming at God because you’re not fighting me but God.”
