Veteran actor Charles Sanyaolu, better known as Charles Olumo or Agbako, is dead.
President of the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Practitioners Association (TAMPAN) Bolaji Amusan aka Mr. Latin broke the news on Thursday, sharing a picture of the deceased on his Instagram page.
He captioned the post, “@tampanglobal announces the passing of Pa Charles Olumo Sanyaolu, fondly known as AGBAKO. Details of the burial arrangements will be shared at a later time. Good night, father. 25/02/1923 to 31/10/2024.”
Actor Jide Kosoko, another TAMPAN board member, also shared his condolences on Instagram writing, “Good night ooo, Baba Charles. a.k.a Agbako, 102 years, ba wasa ba. R I P.”
In an interview with Punch in July, Charles recounted how he adopted the name “Agbako” in the course of his career.
“It is a name I gave myself when we went to shoot a film titled Anikura in Iwo town (then in Oyo State, but now in Osun State). The owner of the film gave it another title, but I felt it was not good enough, so I suggested Anikura.
“He accepted, and I was given the role of ‘Anikura’ in the movie. That was when I started addressing myself as Agbako. I used to say, ‘Emi Agbako Anikura (Me, Agbako Anikura).’ It was a way to build fear around the character further because Anikura was a very dangerous and mean person,” he said.
Born in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Charles was a prominent figure in the Yoruba-language film sector.
Known for his intense, often fearsome roles, he built a legacy that has spanned generations of fans.
Off-screen, Charles had a family life with two wives and five children.