Veteran Nollywood actor Ernest Asuzu is dead.

Ernest Asuzu, a Nigerian actor cum rapper known in some quarters as El Cream, has passed away.

Abubakar Yakubu, national secretary of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), broke the sad news to TheCable Lifestyle on Wednesday.

“Yes, he has passed on. However, l don’t have much details about the situation at the moment,” he said.

It was gathered that the movie star slumped and died on Tuesday evening.

Asuzu started his acting career in the 1990s and rose to the limelight after starring in ‘Rituals’, a Nollywood classic.

He thereafter continued to pull the strings, featuring in several other hit movies including ‘Last Wedding’, ‘Never End’ and ‘Ogidan’. He also snagged numerous awards and recognition.

His blistering movie career, however, suffered a huge blow in 2015 when he had a stroke — a development which affected his speech and left him bedridden for about three years.

The Imo-born actor made the headlines last year when he was seen in a viral video soliciting for alms.

His demise further stretches the list of Nigerian movie stars who have breathed their last since the dawn of 2021.

It comes days after Dan Nkoloagu, another actor known for playing native doctors in Nollywood films, also breathed his last.