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Obi Ndefo, who gained recognition for his performance as Drex and Kelemane in two Star Trek projects, recently passed away on August 31, 2024, at the age of 51. The circumstances leading to the actor's demise are yet to be revealed.
Apart from his acting career, Ndefo even became popular as the founder of a nonprofit organization called Arts Alliance for Humanity. The news was revealed by Obi's sister Nkem through Facebook with a picture, writing that she was heartbroken by the loss.
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The comments section of Nkem's Facebook post was also flooded with tributes, with people writing about Obi Ndefo's personality and sending their prayers to Ndefo's family members. A few others addressed how Obi's work left an impact on their lives.
Obi's fans additionally took to various other social media platforms to express their grief, with most of them recalling his performances on screen over the years.
Obi Ndefo became popular for his performances in the Star Trek franchise
Although the Los Angeles, California native had a lot of popular shows under his credits, he even portrayed important roles in two installments of the Star Trek franchise. As mentioned, he appeared as Drex, a Klingon born to the leaders of the House of Martok, Sirella, and Martok.
The character was featured in an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 1995. He had a habit of harassing the station personnel and civilians while serving his duties in 2372 at Deep Space 9. He was also responsible for accosting Elim Garak at his shop.
Drex was also mentioned in the pronunciation guide for the script of an episode titled Sons and Daughters. However, his name never came up on the show after his first appearance.
Apart from this, Obi Ndefo portrayed Kelemane in Star Trek: Voyager. He served as the Protector of a habitable planet which had a different kind of rotation process than the USS Voyager. While the starship attempted to break orbit, it led to gravitational shifts inside the planet.
Kelemane's ancestors considered the starship an angry deity that shook the planet or the new star. He even planned to speak to the protector of Voyager and try to stop the gravitational shift.
Obi Ndefo lost his legs around five years ago in an accident
Ndefo played a variety of roles throughout his career and was born to Susan Brown and Ejike Daniel Ndefo, as per IMDb. His family members also included a sibling named Nkemdilim Elena Ndefo. He later enrolled at Yale University, where he joined a male singing group called Baker's Dozen.
Obi Ndefo's acting career dates back to 1995 and he became a popular face when he played Bodie Wells in Dawson's Creek. Furthermore, he was seen as Rak'nor in Stargate SG-1 and portrayed minor roles in shows such as Angel, The District, Crossing Jordan, and NYPD Blue.
The Half & Half star was also a yoga teacher and lost his legs in an accident that happened in August 2019. He was hit by a vehicle as he stood by his car near a grocery store and immediately became unconscious. He suffered injuries to both legs and while the left leg was eventually amputated, the right one was cut in the accident.
Meanwhile, further details on his cause of death are not revealed yet.
