Nigerian actress, singer, and media personality Bisola Aiyeola has opened up about the heartbreaking loss of her daughter’s father, Malcolm Olanrewaju, six years after his untimely passing.
In a recent interview with Diary of a Naija Girl, Bisola shared details about what led to his unexpected death and the emotional challenge of breaking the news to her daughter, who was just 8 years old at the time.
Here’s what Bisola had to say about the deeply personal experience.
Speaking about the passing of her daughter Laila’s dad, and how she broke the news to her at the time 8 year old daughter, Bisola said:
BISOLA: Her dad is late. 6 years ago. He passed in 2018. He was ill. It was very heartbreaking.
So we had seen him, we went to visit him in the hospital, myself, my mom, my sister, Laila and his cousins and aunt, we went to visit him in the hospital say on a Sunday. Laila was I think eight at the time, so she and her dad were close. He would visit when he could, but he was ill and you know we had been talking over the phone.
And I just called one day to check ‘oh how far, how are you doing? When are you going to be discharged?’ I literally spoke to him on a Tuesday, and he said he was going to be discharged on Friday. He said by Friday he’s going to be out of here, I was like okay cool, I like how you’re sounding, you’re sounding a lot better.
I was supposed to do something for him and I just said okay I’ll do it tomorrow, then I’ll do it tomorrow, then I’ll do it tomorrow and then on Friday, at about what maybe 6:30/7pm-ish, I just get a phone call. It’s his number calling me. I said ah, no vex oh, I will still do wetin I wan do, and then it was a different voice on the other end saying oh Mummy Laila, he has passed.
At that time, I had like five other children in the house with Laila, they came to spend the weekend with her. So I just went out, called my sister in, my sister came in, I spoke to her, I was like no this can’t be happening, cried. I cried quietly. I went downstairs, told my mom, cried quietly, and I couldn’t tell Laila.
I didn’t say anything to Laila until after the guests left and they left, I think they left on a Monday, it was holidays. Two days, I didn’t say anything. So after they had left, as a matter of fact, the next morning I was supposed to host one event and my face was already in blogs and my name was the headline. ‘Bisola’s baby daddy.’
So after everyone had had left you know, I just called her aside to the room and was like honey, I want to talk to you, I just need you to be calm and ah! it was so heartbreaking watching her breakdown. She was down because she didn’t used to get to see her dad very often, but the moments she was with him, it was very special to her.