SINGAPORE – Veteran actor Wahid Satay died in Singapore earlier today, he was 93.
Wahid, whose real name was Abdul Wahid Ahmad, died at about 8.15am at his granddaughter’s house, according to his second child Hafizah.
She said her father's health began to decline two weeks ago after he was discharged from Changi Hospital for diabetes-related treatment.
"He was bedridden since two weeks ago. He also suffered from high blood pressure and heart disease," she told Bernama.
Hafizah said her father would be buried at the Pusara Aman Muslim cemetery after the zohor prayers, with his remains still at the home of daughter, Mahirah Mohd Yasin.
"I only hope for prayers from all his fans in Malaysia that his soul will be blessed by Allah SWT and be placed among the righteous," she said in a voice choking with emotion.
Hafizah said she felt a huge loss because she always accompanied her father wherever he went, including to Malaysia.
Wahid, began his showbiz career in 1957, and had starred in more than 30 films.
He won the Oskar Black Gold Award for Best Actor at the Asian Film Festival, Manila in 1963, Best Comedian at the Asian Film Festival in Taiwan in 1966, as well as MediaCorp’s Gold Premier Award at the Perdana Festival in 2007.
Wahid’s last public appearance was in December of last year, performing at an event in conjunction with the 32nd Malaysian Film Festival at Encore Melaka.
He always played a comedic character and was one of the most famous Malay film artistes of the Jalan Ampas era.
Wahid derived his stage name from the satay seller character he played in a horror film Pontianak. His other well-known films included Badang, Satay and Seri Mersing.
Seniman secretary-general of Hafiz Nafiah said the artistes association expressed its condolences to the family of Wahid.
"All further information will be communicated by Seniman from time to time," he said in a statement. – Bernama, May 22, 2023
