Veteran Nigerian actor Yinka Quadri has recalled his final emotional meeting with longtime friend Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, at a hospital shortly before Hassan died on Sunday, 23 August 2026, aged 66, after a battle with stage-four cancer.
Quadri shared the deeply personal account on Instagram on Wednesday, 26 August, describing Hassan as a friend so close that he regarded him as a twin brother.
Also read: Pasuma mourns Ogogo in heartfelt tribute
“I have always said that we were twins from heaven, only born to different mothers,” Quadri wrote.
Quadri said he struggled to contain his emotions when he visited Hassan in hospital during the actor’s final days.
According to Quadri, Hassan noticed his tears and tried to reassure him, telling him not to cry and insisting that nothing bad would happen to him.
“I will never forget the last time I saw you at the hospital,” Quadri wrote. “You were lying on your sick bed, and when I saw you, I could not hold back my tears.”
Quadri recalled Hassan looking at him and saying: “Yinka, don’t cry. Nothing bad will happen to me.”
Quadri responded with “Yes, Amen”, holding on to the hope that his friend would recover.
A few minutes later, Quadri said, Hassan asked him to pass a bottle of water that was on a nearby table.
Quadri gave him the water, and Hassan drank from it.
The seemingly ordinary moment became especially significant to Quadri because Hassan then asked whether the people around him could see that he had been able to drink despite having eaten earlier that morning.
Hassan reportedly asked doctors to confirm whether he had indeed eaten that morning. Quadri said the doctors confirmed that he had.
“At that moment, I said ‘glory be to God’. My hope and faith became even stronger,” Quadri recalled.
The doctors, however, advised those around Hassan to remain prayerful.
The memory has taken on greater poignancy following Hassan’s death and burial in Ilaro, Ogun State, on Monday, 24 August, according to Islamic rites.
Quadri was among the prominent Yoruba film veterans who attended the funeral.
He was visibly emotional during the farewell, with images and videos showing him crying as colleagues and mourners gathered to pay their final respects.
Hassan’s death marked the loss of one of the most recognisable figures in Yoruba-language theatre and cinema.
His career spanned more than four decades, during which he established himself as an actor, filmmaker and influential member of the Yoruba entertainment community.
For Quadri, the loss is also profoundly personal.
The two men shared a friendship that extended well beyond their professional lives.
Quadri’s description of Hassan as his “twin brother” reflects the depth of a relationship that had developed over decades in the Nigerian film industry.
Veteran actor Dele Odule has similarly mourned Hassan as a brother, saying his friendship with the late actor lasted nearly 40 years. Odule also recalled the close bond shared by Hassan, Quadri and himself.
“I will miss you a lot, Taiwo. I will miss the happiness you always exude. Who will Yinka and I banter with now?” Odule wrote in his tribute.
The three actors were part of a generation that helped establish Yoruba theatre and cinema as a powerful cultural force in Nigeria.
Their collaborations and friendships became familiar to audiences who followed the industry over several decades.
Hassan’s final illness had generated concern among colleagues and admirers before his death.
Reports said the actor had been battling stage-four cancer, with his condition becoming increasingly serious in the weeks preceding his death.
His family had sought further medical options as his condition deteriorated, while colleagues and fans rallied around him with prayers and messages of support.
His death prompted an outpouring of tributes from the entertainment industry, political figures and admirers across Nigeria.
At his funeral in Ilaro, colleagues remembered Hassan not only for his performances but also for his character, generosity and contribution to Yoruba culture.
Quadri’s recollection of their final hospital encounter adds a particularly intimate dimension to those public tributes.
The bottle of water, the brief conversation and Hassan’s attempt to comfort his visibly distressed friend have become a poignant final memory for Quadri.
Rather than being remembered only through the circumstances of his illness, Quadri’s account preserves an image of Hassan trying to reassure someone else even as he faced his own uncertain condition.
For Quadri, the final words remain difficult to forget.
Also read: Pasuma mourns Ogogo in heartfelt tribute
Hassan may have been a celebrated actor to millions, but to Quadri he was the friend he called his heavenly twin, a relationship that ended not with a final performance but with a quiet conversation beside a hospital bed.
Maryam Idris is a reporter and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
