Colleagues Mourn J.t. Tom West

Shock and grief continued to trail the death of actor J.T. Tom West, as colleagues continued to react with disbelief to his death on Thursday.

Many of those spoken to said he would be missed, being a lively and easygoing fellow and one of the first set of actors in the industry.

Star act, Fred Amata, described his death as a "loss of talent", adding that his death was a tragedy to the industry. His words: "J.T was a fervent multi talented actor, he was a musician, a director and gifted entertainer. It is unfortunate that he died at a moment when the industry needed his contributions most. He didn’t get to see full expression of his talent, but no one can undermine his achievement. He made quite an impact".

Eucharia Anunobi, another actress, was too shocked to react when we called her on phone. After pulling herself together, she said: "I am just hearing it from you. For your information, I am not in Lagos. I am too shocked to say anything, this is really bad news for us. I wish it were not true".

Emeka Ike, another actor in the fast-growing movie industry, however, challenged the leadership of Actor Guild of Nigeria (AGN) to respond appropriately to the death of their colleague.

He advised the warring parties of the AGN leadership to bury their differences as a mark of respect for the departed.

He described him as one of those who laboured for what is today known as Nollywood, adding that he deserved to be given a befitting burial, which should not be politicised.

When we got across to Chima Okoroji, a producer with whom he attended Nollywood Night at The Coliseum, he said it was unbelievable. Okoroji said he still could not come to terms with the death of a friend so dear to him.

"I am still in shock. But why should it be J.T?" he asked in an emotion-laden voice when our correspondent spoke with him. Many other colleagues of the deceased singer-turned-actor declined to comment when our correspondents sought their reactions on Friday.

J.T Tom West, a native of Kalabari Kingdom, Rivers State, started out in the motion picture industry in 1989. He shot into limelight through his talent as a musician and also as an actor in Mega Fortunes, a rested soap opera, which ran on national television in the late 90’s.