PENANG's godfather of street mural art - Tan Chor Whye passed away yesterday at the age of 67 from a heart attack.
However, his legacy is here to stay - adorned in many walls of the George Town World Heritage Site, particularly in Air Itam where he was involved in mapping the area for mural paintings and in rustic Balik Pulau where the art of his protege from Russia, dominates the main road there.
He retired at age 60 as a diesel fuel injection specialist, eagerly dedicating his retirement to his true passion – painting, and bringing street murals to the mainstream with his constant lobbying for recognition of street art.
In 2008, the state government begun to embrace street art as a notable expression work and Penang steadily gained the reputation as one of the street mural capitals of the world; the only one in Asia then.
The once neglected enclave of the inner-city George Town, was enlivened with street murals and Tan was the driving force behind it.
He founded the Can Can Public Art to discover and promote new talents and was once a director of the George Town Festival.
Social media was painted with growing tributes to the man, whose wake was at the Mount Erskine Funeral Parlour before his final resting place at the Prosperous Dragon Hill Memorial Park in Kulim, some 43km away from George Town.
He was often referred to as the "Penang mural art godfather" for his instrumental role in bringing artists to the region and fostering the local creative landscape, according to the Penang Arts District.
He was a mentor and facilitator, especially when he collaborated with Julia Volchkova from Russia.
In 2015, Volchkova produced two iconic murals in the township there that helped launch her international career.
Among those who recorded their tributes were Balik Pulau MP Datuk Muhammed Bakhtiar Wan Chik and Bayan Bayu MP Sim Tze Tzin.
"I received the sad news this afternoon that my good friend, Tan @tanchorwhye, passed away at 11am. With his passion, vision, and tireless spirit, we managed to create two iconic murals that later helped propel Julia into becoming a celebrated and prolific wall artist. Those murals remain as living memories of what we built together," said Bakhtiar.
Sim posted that Tan was instrumental in making Penang world famous for its mural arts.
"In 2012, he collaborated with Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic to draw the world famous “Little Children on a bicycle” mural and a few others during Georgetown Festival. Those street arts were truly famous until today.
"After that, he went on to collaborate with many other artists to make many more street arts in Penang. These street arts made Penang the Mural art Capital of Malaysia. Last year, I collaborated a street art project in Sungai Ara with him. It was instantly a hit too," said Sim.
The Arts District in its memoriam said that his vision helped shape the Penang International Container Art Festival and many other meaningful public art initiatives.
Air Itam assemblyman Joseph Ng Soon Siang also extended his condolences.
Penang Walkabouts founder Robert Teh paid a glowing tribute, describing Tan as a friend, who has made the streets of George Town exciting.
Penang Global Tourism posted that: "Rest in peace, (Tan) Chor Whye. Thank you for everything you’ve done. Your legacy will continue to inspire Penang’s creative future." – November 26, 2025
