Veteran Nollywood actor and producer, Solomon Akiyesi, is dead.

His death was confirmed on Monday by the President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Abubakar Yakubu.

Yakubu said the actor passed away in his sleep on Sunday, adding that his remains have been deposited in a morgue in Abuja.

“Yes, it is true.

According to him, the guild is still expecting more information from the deceased’s family regarding the circumstances surrounding his death.

Akiyesi, who hailed from Ososo in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, began his Nollywood career in the late 1990s and went on to feature in over 100 films.

He was known for roles in movies such as Marry Who You Love, Kiss My Pain, Joy of Nakasha, Heart of a Saint, Deadly Affair, Gen Z Wife, Olaedo The Fisher Girl, Pretty Liars, The End Is Near and Desperate Ladies.

Tributes have since started pouring in across social media platforms.

Anthony Joshua has signed a deal to fight fellow former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, Eddie Hearn has announced.

Joshua, who has not fought since he was a passenger in a fatal car crash in December, will first have a comeback fight against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 25 July.

Fury and Joshua – both two-time world champions – have carried British boxing on the global stage for more than a decade, yet despite years of negotiations and false starts, the fight has never materialised.

But promoter Hearn posted on social media on Monday that the long-awaited fight was “signed, sealed and delivered”.

“As I said, the landlord will collect his rent. That is certain,” Joshua said about the fight.

Joshua, 36, must first get past unknown 35-year-old Albanian Prenga – who boasts a record of 20 wins, all by stoppage, and one loss.

The British fighter’s most recent appearance in the ring was against Jake Paul in December.

Later that month Joshua’s driver crashed in Nigeria, with two members of the boxer’s team being killed.

“It’s no secret I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring and today is the next step on that journey,” Joshua said.

A date or venue for Joshua v Fury has not been announced. Hearn has previously suggested it could land in November on streaming giant Netflix.

Joshua attended Fury’s recent comeback fight against Arslanbek Makhmudov and was called out by his British rival immediately after he secured a comfortable decision win. Fury, 37, attempted to goad Joshua into the ring, but he declined.

Afterwards, Team Fury said they had signed their part of the contract and were waiting on Joshua to do the same.

“I’m looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off,” Joshua added.

The fight British boxing fans have been waiting for the best part of a decade is almost here. We still don’t quite know when or where, but – barring an almighty shock in Riyadh this summer – it’s finally going to happen.

First things first, though – Joshua has to get through his warm-up. Not even spectacularly – just get the job done.

Prenga is unknown to all but the most hardened of boxing fans, but it’s a safe return. With his impressive knockout record, it creates enough threat to make it feel like a proper fight but not enough to seriously derail what comes next.

There is a valid question of why Joshua needs an interim fight, but the answer is fairly straightforward – he needs some time back in the ring.

His last win came against a YouTuber-turned-boxer, before that was a heavy defeat by Daniel Dubois, and before that was former UFC champion Francis Ngannou. The last time Joshua beat a recognised, established boxer was Otto Wallin back in 2023.

But more than anything, there’s the human side. The car crash in Nigeria, and the loss of two men he called brothers, changes the tone completely. This is about getting back into the mindset of fighting again.

As for Fury – if the fight lands in the UK, Wembley or Tottenham Hotspur Stadium feel like the obvious options, but a November date brings the usual questions about weather and practicality.

The finer details will start to fall into place over the coming weeks.

The new musical film about Michael Jackson has stormed the worldwide box office, scoring the highest opening weekend ever for a biopic.

The singer’s nephew Jaafar Jackson portrays him in Michael, which has taken $217m (£160m) globally since it opened on Wednesday.

Queen musical Bohemian Rhapsody, which launched with $124m (£91m) in 2018 and starred Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury, previously held the box office record for a musical biopic.

But Michael also surpassed the $180m (£133m) taken by 2024’s Oppenheimer, giving the King of Pop the biggest worldwide opening weekend for a biopic of any kind.

Adam Fogelson, chairman of the film’s US distributor Lionsgate, said: “You don’t deliver this figure unless you’re seeing huge numbers across every conceivable demographic.

The film has gone down much better with audiences than it did with critics, several of whom complained that it depicted a “sanitised” version of Jackson’s career.

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes recorded a significant gap between the 38% average score awarded by critics, and the 97% average rating from audiences.

The film’s release follows a string of musical biopics over the last decade, which are seen by Hollywood as reliable box office hits.

Queen, Sir Elton John, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, NWA, Robbie Williams and Whitney Houston have all received the cinematic treatment in recent years.

Michael is financially backed by the late superstar’s estate and uses his original vocals for the musical numbers, which dominate the film.

Michael does not include any mention of the child sexual abuse accusations that were made against the singer.

Jackson always maintained his innocence, and was found not guilty of child molestation in 2005.

Filmmakers originally intended to include references to some of the allegations, but the footage was scrapped after the rediscovery of a historic non-disclosure agreement Jackson made with one of his accusers.

The third act of Michael had been due to centre on accusations made by Jordan Chandler in the 1990s, but a settlement Jackson made with the boy’s family at the time included a clause that prohibited the singer’s estate ever mentioning him in any movie.

The film was reworked and a series of reshoots took place after the discovery, and Michael now instead concludes in 1988, before any accusations were made.

Director Antoine Fuqua told Deadline over the weekend that the rediscovery of the NDA led to a “tough period” because the team had to “rethink everything”.

“All movies have different challenges, but this one was unique,” he said, adding that the team got around the issue by refocusing on Jackson’s musical career.

The resulting film leans heavily on recreated concert performances and examines the strained relationship with his father Joseph, played in the film by Oscar nominee Colman Domingo.

The costly reshoots contributed to the film’s sizeable price tag, reported to be around $200m (£148m), making it one of the most expensive biopics of all time.

Michael opened on the same weekend throughout most of the world, but it is still to launch in Japan, where the local distributor has scheduled a June release date.

The film is part of a recent upward swing for cinemas, after a string of box office hits such as The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Project Hail Mary, with other major releases including The Devil Wears Prada 2 this weekend set to follow.

Jackson was known for worldwide hits such as Billie Jean, Beat It, Smooth Criminal and Black or White, while 1982’s Thriller is the biggest-selling album of all time.