PAHANG SULTAN, TENGKU AMPUAN EXTEND CONDOLENCES TO FAMILY OF MUSIC LEGEND AHMAD NAWAB

KUANTAN, Nov 25 (Bernama) -- The Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, and Tengku Ampuan of Pahang, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, today extended condolences to the family of the Malaysian music legend, Tan Sri Dr Ahmad Nawab who died yesterday.

Al-Sultan Abdullah and Tunku Azizah also prayed that the soul of the National Artiste be placed among the righteous and those who have faith and perform good deeds.

“Their Royal Highnesses also prayed that Allah will ease everything for the family and that they remain strong in facing the loss of their beloved one,” according to the post on Kesultanan Pahang’s official Facebook page.

Ahmad Nawab, whose real name is Ahmad Khan Nawab Khan, died at the age of 92 due to old age at his residence in Taman Melewar, Gombak, near here, yesterday. His remains were laid to rest at the Raudhatul Sakinah Muslim Cemetery (Kuala Lumpur-Karak) this morning.

Ahmad was conferred the Seniman Negara (National Artistes) award by the Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Heritage in 2006. He created a legacy in the country's music industry, composing over 2,000 songs since beginning his career at the age of 16.

On June 5 last year, the Penang-born music maestro was also conferred the Panglima Setia Mahkota (PSM) award, which carries the title Tan Sri, on June 5, 2023, in conjunction with the Official Birthday of the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

Having served with the RTM Orchestra for 17 years and winning various awards, including the Merak Kayangan Award (Best Song) for his first composition "Bintang Malam" in 1980, Ahmad had not only produced songs for local singers but also for Indonesian stars such as Hetty Koes Endang and Broery Marantika.

Through his extraordinary touch, several legends in the country’s music industry were created, including the late Datuk Sharifah Aini, the late Datuk Sudirman Arshad, Datuk Khadijah Ibrahim, Datuk Jamal Abdillah, Uji Rashid, and Ramlah Ram.

Ahmad’s contributions to the Malaysian music scene were also recognised by Universiti Putra Malaysia, which awarded him an Honorary Doctorate in Literature in 2000.

The maestro was also the individual responsible for composing the song “Malaysia Truly Asia” performed by Datuk Khadijah Ibrahim, which is considered an iconic tune for promoting Malaysia as a tourist destination on the international stage.

-- BERNAMA