Marvel actor Eka Darville and his spouse, Lila Darville just lost their son Mana, 10, who battled with cancer for a while. Details about his family explored.
Eka Darville, originally from Byron Bay in northern NSW, is an actor best known for his role as Malcolm Ducasse in Marvel’s Jessica Jones and The Defenders and as the Red Ranger Scott Truman in Power Rangers RPM and its sequel Samurai.
He has also been featured in Spartacus, Terra Nova, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Empire, Her Smell, and Tell Me a Story.
His latest role in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is due to hit cinemas in 2024.
Away from his profession, he is a family man and has been married for a while to his spouse and they have been blessed with kids. Here’s everything we know about his family.
Who is Eka Darville’s wife, Lila?
Eka Darville has been married to his longtime wife, Lila Darville.
The couple’s love story, including where they held their wedding and how long they’ve been together, is not known.
Eka is said to have met his wife Lila back in 2011 but specific circumstances surrounding their meeting and their background remain undisclosed to the public eye.
They got married later after dating for a while.
Her Instagram page, which sees her go by the username lovinglila, lists her as being ‘currently offline’.
By profession, Lila Darville has worked as the pleasure director for Magic Mike Live Las Vegas and is a sex and intimacy coach.
How many children do Eka Darville and Lila have?
Eka Darville and his spouse, Lila, have three children together. The names of their kids are Mana, Zion, and Axé.
The family of five experienced a tragic loss after the couple’s first child, Mana, 10, died after a battle with a cancer tumour.
The actor’s mother, Malaika MaVeena Darville, who announced the little boys’ death, described her grandson as like no other child.
‘Mana managed to touch more hearts than most do in a whole lifetime,’ Malaika added.
‘And he will continue to touch hearts with his story, courage and strength and wisdom coming in to the highest frequencies of the ascended masters, the angelic realms, the angels, the light help guide man to pour our love into his soul.’
She believes Mana will always be watching over his little brothers Zion and Axé.
‘Axé was so upset this morning and we went outside and there was this gentle rain, it was really warm rain, we went outside and then there was this beautiful big rainbow right through the sky,’ Malaika recalled.
‘And Zion said it’s Mana’s rainbow, Mana’s rainbow!’
‘And we stood there in the rain and the two boys sang in the rain and I knew that Mana is always gonna be watching over those two boys and bringing them into joy in their hearts again and again and again.’
What happened to Mana Darville?
A heartbroken Australian actor is grieving the loss of his 10-year-old son who has lost his battle with a rare type of brain tumour.
Eka Darville put his career on hold earlier this year after his son Mana was diagnosed with aggressive glioneuronal brain cancer.
After being told there was little more doctors could do in Australia, Darville and his wife Lila moved their young family to America, where Mana underwent high-risk marathon surgery in April to remove as much as possible of the primary tumour.
In October 2023, Darville’s mother Malaika, revealed in a heartbreaking video that her grandson Mana died in the U.S. over the weekend.
Darville had only recently revealed that Mana was still fighting, despite the latest devastating setback.
He vowed to seek the best medical care available with plans to access additional treatments from Europe and Japan.
‘Three grueling surgeries, 2 continents, countless therapies and Mana’s undeniable will… 8 months later he is still with us. Still fighting,’ Darville wrote on an online fundraiser on October 18.
‘We’ve been on an absolute odyssey these last six months with highs and lows that have stretched our capacity to ‘human’ beyond every limit we thought we had.’
‘We’ve witnessed real-life miracles as Mana went from not being able to walk, to doing ninja rolls off the side of the bed, rock climbing, swimming and not just getting out of the wheelchair but running unassisted!
‘The gut-punch news is that after months of stability and miraculous progress in his physical rehab, the tumour has clawed its way back and is growing faster then ever.
‘In the face of this newest challenge we are unwavering in our commitment to his complete healing and will accept nothing less.’
The family’s lives were turned upside down in July 2022 when Mana collapsed on a beach and suffered a seizure that left the right side of his body paralysed.
At the time, he was misdiagnosed with Focal Cortical Dysplasia, a brain abnormality that had supposedly been there since birth.
For the next five months, Mana continued to suffer daily uncontrolled seizures and was eventually rushed to hospital again in January, where an MRI revealed two large tumours growing across the surface of his brain.
He underwent a marathon 14-hour operation in Australia but only 60 per cent of one tumor could be removed before Darville turned to overseas to find a cure for Mana.
The sad news sparked an outpouring of tributes from those following Mana’s journey.
Former Home and Away star and fellow Byron Bay local Isabel Lucas was among a host of high-profile stars to share condolences.
‘I grieve with you, honouring his life. I love you so much,’ she wrote.
LA-based Aussie actress Teresa Palmer added: ‘Sending immense love your way, friends.’