Meet Olu Jacobs’ Children: Olusoji Jacobs, Olugbenga Jacobs, and Dayo Jacobs

Legendary Nigerian actor Olu Jacobs, born Oludotun Baiyewu Jacobs, was one of the most respected figures in African theatre and film, a career statesman whose voice and screen presence spanned more than five decades.

He died on September 16, 2026, at 84 years old, and his passing has renewed public interest in the family he built with his wife, actress Joke Silva, and the three children who carried his name.

Olu Jacobs was born on July 11, 1942, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, to parents of Egba Alake heritage. His parents’ names remain publicly undocumented and are recorded here as Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs.

Information about his siblings has also never been made public. He was raised Christian and spent his early childhood in Kano, where he attended Holy Trinity School and developed his first love for drama through school plays, debates, and church programs.

He later traveled to England in 1964 to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, launching a career that took him through British repertory theatre and television before he returned home to become a founding figure of Nollywood.

Olu Jacobs met Joke Silva in 1981 at the National Theatre in Lagos and married her in 1989; their union lasted 37 years until his death and produced three children. His height has never been publicly disclosed.

1 Lauris Reiniks Actor 2 Edward Sanda Musician 3 Sela Ward Writers & Author 4 Kaarthik Shankar Writers & Author

Trending among readers

His net worth is $3.5 million, built through decades of acting, production, and the Lufodo Group, the entertainment company he co-founded with his wife.

In his final years, Jacobs lived with dementia with Lewy bodies, a degenerative brain condition his wife first disclosed publicly in 2021.

He died on September 16, 2026, and while the family’s statement did not name an official cause of death, it came after years of declining health tied to that diagnosis.

His son Olusoji Jacobs announced the news, describing him as “a beloved husband, father, grandfather and uncle” and “The Lion of Lufodo.”

Olusoji Jacobs

Olusoji Jacobs is Olu Jacobs’ eldest surviving son and, after his sister Dayo Jacobs died in childhood, effectively became the family’s firstborn.

He joined the family business as Head of Productions and Business Development at Lufodo, the entertainment company his parents built together, working closely alongside them for years.

Olusoji has remained the family’s most visible spokesperson in recent times. He confirmed his father’s death to the public on Instagram on September 16, 2026, writing on behalf of the family that they were announcing “the passing of our dear husband, father, grandfather and uncle,” with gratitude for a life well lived.

Olugbenga Jacobs

Olugbenga Jacobs is the youngest of Olu Jacobs’ three children and his second son.

He pursued his education at the American University of Nigeria (AUN), where he graduated in 2021, and he shares a close bond with his surviving sibling, Olusoji Jacobs.

While he has kept a lower public profile than his brother, Olugbenga is recognised as part of the next generation tied to the Lufodo family legacy his parents built, and he was named among those Olu Jacobs left behind at his passing.

Dayo Jacobs

Dayo Jacobs was Olu Jacobs’ first child, born in 1987. She was known to be especially close to her father and grandmother in her short life.

In 1997, at 10 years old, Dayo fell ill from an undisclosed illness and was placed on life support. Her parents eventually made the painful decision to withdraw life support to end her suffering.

Her death left a lasting mark on the family, and she remained the firstborn in family history even though her younger brothers, Olusoji Jacobs and Olugbenga Jacobs, grew up to carry the Jacobs name forward in the decades that followed.

What People Ask