Ediémou Blin Jacob: key obituary facts
Is Ediémou Blin Jacob dead? Yes. Ediémou Blin Jacob died on October 19, 2026, at age 80.
Cause of death: Ediémou Blin Jacob's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Ediémou Blin Jacob known for?
He was an Ivorian Christian minister.
More about Ediémou Blin Jacob
Place of death: Abidjan.
Gender: male.
Occupation: religious person, Christian minister.
Nationality: Ivory Coast.
Born: November 5, 1945Grand-Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire.
Ediémou Blin Jacob, an Ivorian pastor and civil servant, died in Abidjan on October 19, 2026, aged 80.
Born in Grand-Bassam on November 5, 1945, he attended high school with Laurent Gbagbo and played goalkeeper for USC Bassam in the 1960s, when the club was among Côte d’Ivoire’s prominent teams. Jacob later recalled choosing his match-day clothes according to his expectations: he wore a luxury outfit when he was sure the team would win and ordinary sportswear when he thought it would lose.
After football, he worked as an auditor in telecommunications and as an aide at the Ministry of Commerce. He initially intended to become a Catholic priest and served as a sacristan. He was reportedly contacted personally by Pope John Paul II, who encouraged him to pursue the priesthood. Jacob later converted to the Celestial Church of Christ and entered its priesthood. He became the first native Ivorian priest in the church and led its community in Côte d’Ivoire from 1984 until 2026, a tenure spanning more than four decades.