Tributes have been pouring in for popular Nollywood actor Muna Obiekwe, who died in a Lagos hospital at the weekend.

Obiekwe kept his renal failure secret and may have been ashamed to ask for financial assistance

Unconfirmed reports and messages on social media are suggesting the Enugu-based actor, who had kept secret chronic problems with his kidneys, had stopped having the renal dialysis necessary to sustain his life because of the prohibitive cost of the procedure. A blogger is claiming that he had been planning to produce a play in order to raise funds for his treatment.

Family sources say Obiekwe was rushed to hospital after collapsing at his Lagos home.

The actor came under attack after pictures emerged of him apparently sucking co-star Biola Ige’s breast while filming the movie Pregnant Hawker, a claim both he and the actress denied, alleging a doctored image portraying an incident that never happened.

In 2010, he courted further controversy; facing accusations of promoting homosexuality by playing the role of a gay man in Men in Love.

Following news of his demise, a fake Twitter account @MunaObiekwe caused confusion by denying Obiekwe’s death. The insensitive imposter later came clean and tweeted the following apology for the tweet:

“Anyway, sorry guys for d deceit, Munaobiekwe is truly dead and I’m signing out from this account… . Sorry guys.”

Ibinabo Fiberesema, president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), said: “Yes, he is truly dead; I have spoken to his wife. He was a private person – he didn’t tell us he had problems, so there is no way we could have helped.”

Obiekwe is survived by a wife and children.