Adeyemi Afolayan, also known as Ade Love, was the father of the filmmaker Kunle Afolayan and reportedly died without being paid for his work.
The 47-year-old said in a recent interview with media personality Chude Jideonwo that his father died at a “pretty young” age and did not get to enjoy the fruits of his labour.
Additionally, he claimed that Adeyemi’s passing is what allows “some of us to do what we’re doing today.”
“Not at all, he didn’t even get close to getting his reward. He died at the age of 56, that’s pretty young. But I think he had to die, maybe for some of us to be able to do what we’re doing today.
“For me when people die, it’s because their time is up and people would take it up. So one of the reasons why there’s still continuity, why his name is still heard everywhere is because we are doing what we are doing.
”I think he lived a good life and we too, we’ll go one day. If any of our kids decide to pick the profession up and if not, that’s on them,” he said.
Ade Love, the brother of the actress Toyin Afolayan, was also a film director in addition to being an actor.
He joined Moses Olaiya’s drama group in 1966 and left in 1971 to found his own drama company, which later produced comedic plays.
He first made an appearance in Ola Balogun’s 1976 film Ajani Ogun before producing and starring in Balogun’s 1977 film Ija Ominira.
In a 2021 tribute to his father, Kunle praised his choice to wed numerous wives, saying it made it possible for him to be his son.
“I miss you, Baba mi (my father), but thank you for marrying many wives because I would not have been privileged to be called your son.
“I know (he) was finer so…don’t rub it in. ADEYEMI JOSIAH AKANO AFOLAYAN (1940-1996),” he wrote.