Malay music and film icon Nona Asiah died early Tuesday (Jul 30) morning. She was 94 years old.
The legendary singer, whose real name was Asiah Aman, was best known for her vocals during the era of P Ramlee films.
Her death was confirmed to Berita Mediacorp by her youngest son, music producer and director Indra Shahrir Ismail, who said that Nona Asiah had been at Changi General Hospital for the past two months for kidney, lung and heart issues. She died in hospital due to health complications.
Her funeral will take place on Wednesday morning.
Indra Shahrir added that he was the only one of his siblings to be with his mother when she died as his other siblings were in Gold Coast, Australia, attending a relative’s wedding.
The 2016 Cultural Medallion recipient recorded her first two songs in 1949: Ciumku Lagi (Kiss Me Again), a Malay cover of the Spanish song Besame Mucho, and Bunga Sakura (Sakura Flower).
She was also prolific as the background singer on several films by Shaw Brothers’ Malay Film Production and Cathay-Keris Malay Films during the 1950s and 60s, providing the singing vocals for the female leads such as for Siput Sarawak in the 1948 film Chinta.
She counted the late Zubir Said, who went on to compose the national anthem, Majulah Singapura, as a mentor.
Nona Asiah retired from performing in the 1970s and became a vocal coach with Bengkel Kanak-Kanak (Children’s Workshop) where she worked with many talents who appeared in the classic 1980s kids’ TV series Aksi Mat Yoyo.
She was also inducted into the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame in 2022.
In an October 2018 interview with Berita Mediacorp, veteran lyricist Yusnor Ef who had known Nona Asiah for decades, described her as “an irreplaceable jewel”.
He said: “Just mention Nona Asiah’s name – everyone knows that she is an artist who is very committed to her work and very talented. The artistry she brings is quite sincere and something that the young generation can learn from today.”