Comedian and TV host Teju Babyface has paid tribute to his longtime friend and colleague Kayode Peters, who died in Toronto, Canada, on Saturday.
Teju shared a throwback photo of them on Instagram on Monday, expressing how difficult it was to accept the filmmaker’s death.
“It has been a few days now, but I have found it extremely difficult to post this because posting it means accepting that Okemkpi @kayodepeters1 is truly gone,” he wrote.
“And who knows if you will even see this? Maybe we post these things in part for ourselves and our meager comfort and egos. Alas, post it, I must, for the elephant has fallen. Erín wó. Okemkpi! Kaposki! Bondirella!”
Teju said they defied the belief that a group of 20 friends cannot stay together for 20 years.
“Well, my brother Kayode, we beat those odds! We played together for almost 30 years! And yet, in the end, we didn’t beat it, did we? Because here comes death separating us with agonizing pain at the end of it all.
“My heart breaks, and a part of me feels dead, but what’s our pain compared to those of your wife, kids, siblings, and the rest of the family?”
He said Kayode’s legacy and memory live on through his loved ones and friends.
“I can still hear the sound of your annoyingly teasing and infectious laugh. Ocreamu! Makayana! Firinski! Ọgbọ! Chuku chuku! Jankrobo! Bonding!
“I hope we will meet again. Desperately, I hope that it is true that there is life on the other side and that we are reunited with our loved ones when the seabird calls and we have breathed our last. We miss you. We will miss you. We love you. Goodnight, my friend. Sleep well, our brother. Kayode, o di’gba o. O di gbere. O d’arinako. O d’oju ala o. Bo ba d’ọrun, ṣ’ọrun’re o. Adieu brother.”
Kayode Peters died in Toronto after battling an undisclosed illness. His family confirmed the news in a statement shared on his official Instagram page, noting that he “passed on peacefully this morning, June 28, 2025, in Toronto, Canada.”
Born on September 25, 1975, in Ibadan, Kayode began his career as an actor at the University of Lagos with the Theatre 15 drama group. He later earned a master’s degree in film and TV production from the University of Greenwich in the UK and also completed a diploma in digital marketing in Canada.
He was known for producing and directing hit TV shows like Twilight Zone, Flatmates, My Flatmates and Papa Ajasco & Company. His film credits include 13 Letters and Crazy Grannies, among others.
Kayode celebrated his 14th wedding anniversary just three days before his death. He is survived by his wife, children, siblings and other family members.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
