Lari Williams, the veteran Nollywood actor, is dead. He was 81 years old.

A statement from his family said the actor died on Sunday in his home in Ikom, Cross River State.

He had been battling with sickness though the nature of the ailment could not be ascertained.

Williams, who was given a national honour –Member of the Order of the Federal Republic in 2008, starred in the Village Headmaster, Ripples, and Mirror in The Sun.

He was the inaugural president of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN) and also lectured in three universities during his lifetime.