Tragic Loss As Plus-Sized Actress Monalisa Stephen Passes Away, Toyin Abraham, Other Celebs Mourn

• Nollywood has been thrown into mourning following reports that actress Monalisa Ayobami Stephen has died
• The details surrounding Monalisa Ayobami's death were shared by Best of Nollywood (BON) CEO Seun Oloketuyi
• Popular Nollywood stars like Toyin Abraham, Lateef Adedimeji's wife, Mo Bimpe, among others, have reacted to Monalisa Stephen's death

Tragedy has hit the Nigerian movie industry as plus-sized actress, media personality, and brand influencer Monalisa Ayobami Stephen (also known as Gabacci) has reportedly passed away.

According to the reports shared by the Chief Executive Officer of Best of Nollywood (BON), Seun Oloketuyi, on Wednesday, May 14, Monalisa Stephen died on Tuesday, May 13, in Lagos, after battling low blood sugar and internal bleeding.

The actress' immediate younger sister has confirmed the sad news.

"Brand influencer Monalisa Ayobami Stephen is dead, she died yesterday in Lagos after losing the fight against Low sugar and internal bleeding. Her immediate younger sister confirmed the death of this hardworking and beautiful soul," Oloketuyi wrote.

Monalisa Stephen was a plus-size model, known for her body-positive advocacy and media personality.

Her last post on Instagram was on April 29, 2025, where she shared a video of her dancing to music star Davido's 10 Kilo, a song off his newly released 5th studio album, 5ive.

"You know this is one of my Favorite Song on “ 5IVE“ Full Video Tomorrow! Here is to All the Confident Women I know and Love 10 KILO is for All of Us," she wrote in her last social media post.

Watch Monalisa Stephen's last video before her death below:

Celebs, fans mourn Monalisa Stephen

Legit.ng compiled some of the reactions from friends and fans of the late Monalisa, taking to social media to lament the great loss.

mo_bimpe said:

"Whatttttttt."

toyin_abraham said:

"I don’t understand u pls."

romeofb said:

"Possibly she went on a diet spree or the slimming trend which could have caused low sugar level in her body. Be careful of using all these herbal slimming teas around."

oluwafunmilolamaryadeoye said:

"Been wondering why she’s barely on sm. Quite unfortunate. May her soul find peace with the Lord."

d_golden_bee said:

"Low sugar is very dangerous. That’s why if someone passes out you don’t pour water on them or give them to drink . May her soul rest in peace."

slim_niikkie said:

"She was still dropping contents back to back of recent. Aaaahhh Jesus!"

juliesk515 commented:

"Jesusssss it had better be prank ooooo"

Yetundetaiwoshodunke said:

"Haaa haaa died as how."

yinks4real said:

"Oh noooo.....A beautiful soul gone just like that 😭 Rest well mona."

"I saw how people bullied you online" - Royal Hugs CEO

The Nigerian entertainment industry is mourning the sudden demise of plus-size actress Monalisa Stephen. The CEO of Royal Hugs Surprises shared on social media how she has been putting smiles on the faces of the late actress.

She noted that for the past five years, she has turned up to surprise her on Monalisa's special day after noting how people treat her on social media, all because of her stature.

In a video she shared, a vividly surprised Monalisa ran into her room as she stepped into her sitting room with her Royal Hugs team in March, not knowing death was lurking in the corner for the actress. Her caption reads:

'This was just 2 month ago now Lisa, been doing this for you for the past 5 years without even posting because I did not need any validation from the world, I just wanted you to be genuinely happy, because I saw how people did bully you online, I can’t believe this, like why do good people go so early 💔

I loved how confident you were with your body, this is indeed a rude shock and I am been reminded again everything is temporary again, Dear Lord please comfort the families and her loved ones, I would definitely miss girl, my gabaci @monalisa.stephen I feel so scared right now."

Watch the video here:

What Monalisa Stephen said about Teni

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Monalisa Stephen opened up on her issue with music star Teniola Apata, aka Teni.

Monalisa called out Teni after sharing the reasons she decided to go on a weight loss journey.

According to her, Teni put her up for drags because they were both plus-sized before Teni decided to work on her shape.

Sola Sanusi, HOD of the Entertainment Desk, contributed to this article. She provided commentary from the CEO of Royal Hugs on the late actress, Monalisa Stephen.

Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng