Tony Okungbowa, former resident DJ for The Ellen DeGeneres Show, has buried his dad John Okungbowa in Nigeria.
The 86-year-old- was buried at the Ikoyi Cemetery on Friday after a funeral service at Ituah Ighodalo’s Trinity House on Victoria Island.
Ighodalo officiated at the funeral with assistance from Ekpenyong Duke, Tomi Oyesola and Jolomi Guoti.
Tony, who announced his arrival in Nigeria in an Instagram post on Saturday, described his dad as the most generous man he ever knew.
Writing about his dad in the funeral brochure, Tony said “The lengths you went to just to make sure we were fed and clothed are staggering. And it wasn’t just us. The number of family members that came through our homes to live over the years was so lengthy, I lost count. And you were so generous to them all.. always was fiercely protective of all your kids and family.”
Tony began his role as DJ on Ellen’s show from 2003 to the end of season three of the show in 2006, when he left to further his acting career.
He returned in 2007 for occasional substitute appearances and returned to DJ full-time for the sixth season which began September 8, 2008.
He was DJ at the 2004 Grammy Awards.
His acting roles include guest spots on The X-Files, NYPD Blue, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and NCIS: Los Angeles.
He was executive producer of and acted in the film Restless City which had its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in 2011.
The Middlesex University graduate became a naturalized citizen of the United States in January 2013 and has been playing Kofo in the CBS sitcom Bob Hearts Abishola since 2019.
