Chioma Akpotha’s Emotional Tribute to Her Late Dad Is Breaking Hearts

Nollywood actress Chioma Akpotha has lost her father, Leonard Chukwuka, 13 years after her mum died. Read her heartfelt words about losing both parents.

Some celebrity posts you just scroll past. This one makes you stop.

Nollywood actress Chioma Akpotha has announced on Instagram that her father, Leonard Ndukaife Chukwuka, has died. Her mum passed 13 years ago, so she’s now lost both parents.

She started by saying she’d been trying to find the words. Then she let it out. Having no parent left, she wrote, “breaks my heart in a way I cannot fully explain.”

She even asked, “So na only me bayi?” It reads like someone talking out loud to nobody in particular, and honestly, that’s what makes it so real.

She called him her daddy and her comfort, and used tender pet names for him. It’s clear he wasn’t just her father. He was her person.

There’s gratitude in her post too. She thanked God that her father lived a long life and got to see his children and grandchildren.

But she’d hoped he’d stay long enough to meet his great-grandchildren. Anyone who has lost a parent will understand that feeling. You can have decades with someone and still want “one more conversation, one more embrace, one more day.”

She also said she’s thankful for the precious moments they shared, especially near the end.

Chioma kept the news to herself for a while.

She explained that she wanted to come to terms with her grief before telling the public.

Now she’s asking fans and well-wishers to keep her, her siblings and the whole Chukwuka family in their prayers. Funeral details will be shared once the family is ready. She also referred to her dad as the Olowo of Ikate and ended her tribute by telling him she loves him.

Chioma has been in Nollywood for over two decades as an actress, producer and director. Many people feel like they know her from the films she’s been in.

But this week, she’s simply a daughter missing her dad. Messages like hers remind us that behind every famous face is someone grieving like the rest of us. Our thoughts are with her and her family.