The Originals actor Owiso Odera dies after collapsing on stage

Kenyan actor Owiso Odera, who starred in U.S. TV series The Originals, has died suddenly aged 43.
The African star played the witch Papa Tunde in The Vampire Diaries spin-off and appeared in small roles in a number of American TV dramas including The Good Wife and NCIS: Los Angeles.
He collapsed on stage during rehearsals for a play in Kentucky last Friday (04Nov16), and medics were unable to revive him. At the time of WENN going to press, no cause of death had been announced.
His half-brother Peter Oruka Odera told Kenyan newspaper The Standard, “We are devastated by his demise. It is like a bad dream. I haven’t come to terms with the news of his death. This is unbearable.”
A message from the official Twitter account of The Vampire diaries marking his passing read, “R.I.P Owiso Odera.. Owiso played Papa Tunde on #TheOriginals.”
He also had roles in the TV adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s science-fiction short story Minority Report, New York police procedural Blue Bloods and political drama Madam Secretary.
The actor was the son of the late Kenyan scholar Professor Henry Odera Oruka, a philosopher whose work attempted to preserve the knowledge of thinkers from indigenous African communities.
Owiso had two sisters, Sheila and Sharon, and two half-brothers, Peter and Ronnie. He is survived by his wife Nicole.