Nigerian Father of Two Living in the UK Passes Away Peacefully in His Sleep

A United Kingdom-based Nigerian, Kayode Ogunbodede—widely known as Kay—has passed away in his sleep in Swansea, Wales.

According to a GoFundMe appeal launched by Olatunde Owoeye-Phoster, Kayode died unexpectedly in the early hours of Tuesday, leaving behind his wife, a student, and their two daughters, aged six years and six months. Owoeye-Phoster described Kayode’s death as a sudden and devastating loss for the family.

Kayode was a well-known figure in both the Nigerian and African communities in the UK. He was an active member of Elim City Church in Swansea and the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Friends and acquaintances remember him as peaceful, calm, supportive, and always ready to help others.

The GoFundMe appeal reads, Our lives changed in ways we cannot imagine when our brother, husband, and father, Kayode Ogunbodede, popularly called Kay, passed away suddenly in his sleep on the morning of Tuesday, 26th May, 2026, in Swansea, UK.

Kay was peaceful, calm, helpful, full of smiles, and always willing to lend a hand wherever he could. He was full of life and deeply supported his family.

Owoeye-Phoster explained that the fundraising campaign was created to help Kayode’s bereaved family cover funeral expenses, childcare, household bills, and to support the education of his wife and young children.

Kay has left behind a wife, who is still a student and not working, a six-year-old daughter, and a six-month-old daughter.

This is a very tough place to be for his wife, who is a relatively new mum. Everybody who has heard of this sad incident is eager to help, and this serves as a platform to organise support for one of our own. Please let us support the family he has left behind in whatever ways we can, the statement added.

As of the time of reporting, £480 had been raised towards the £18,000 target.

Ogunbodede’s passing is part of a growing number of recent cases involving Nigerians who have died in the UK, prompting relatives and community groups to seek public support for bereaved families through fundraising efforts.

In April, PUNCH Metro reported that another UK-based Nigerian father of three, known simply as Herbert, died in his sleep in Thornaby, while his family appealed for help to cover funeral and repatriation costs. Similarly, in April, Ademola Oke, another Nigerian, was found unresponsive at his UK workplace, with relatives launching a fundraising drive to support his wife and children.