Obi Ndefo, an actor who had recurring roles on “Dawson’s Creek” and “Stargate SG-1,” died on Aug. 28 in a hospital in the Los Angeles area. He was 51.
Obi Ndefo’s sister, Nkem Ndefo, announced his death in a Facebook post on Saturday night, writing: “Heartbroken at the loss of my younger brother and knowing he’s finally at peace.”
On Monday, Nkem Ndefo shared more information about Obi Ndefo’s death on her X (formerly Twitter) account, including that the actor’s “heart gave out in his longstanding battle against the eating disorder orthorexia.”
In another post on X, Nkem Ndefo wrote: “As his family, we share this news to bring attention to orthorexia’s severity and in the hopes that those suffering from this devastating disease receive the compassionate care they deserve.”
Obi Ndefo was known for his role as Bodie Wells on the teen drama series “Dawson’s Creek.” His character, which he played from 1998 to 2002, was the boyfriend of Joey Potter’s (Katie Holmes) older sister, Bessie Potter (Nina Repeta).
He played the Jaffa warrior Rak’nor on “Stargate SG-1” from 2000 to 2005 and appeared in other series, including “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” “The Wayans Bros.,” “The Jamie Foxx Show,” “3rd Rock From the Sun,” “Angel,” “Star Trek: Voyager,” “NYPD Blue” and “The West Wing.”
In 2019, Obi Ndefo lost both his legs after a hit-and-run accident in a parking lot in Los Angeles. The actor was loading groceries into the trunk of his car when a drunk driver slammed into him, according the L.A. Times. His right leg was served upon impact while the left was shattered and had to be amputated.
“This is just so horrendous what happened to me, why would I compound this by feeling bad about it?” Obi Ndefo told the L.A. Times in 2019. “I didn’t even have to choose positivity.”
Obi Ndefo graduated from Yale University’s drama school, where he earned his BA in 1994 and MFA in 1997 (per Yale News). Along with his career as an actor, he was employed as a yoga teacher.
Source Agencies
