Veteran artiste Sharifah Aini dies at 61
5 Jul – Dato Sharifah Aini Binti Syed Jaafar, Malaysia's legendary singer-actress had passed away earlier today at the age of 61 after suffering from lung fibrosis at the Damansara Specialist Hospital at 1.26am.
According to The Star, the veteran singer had been diagnosed with lung fibrosis two years ago. She was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the specialist hospital by her son, Omar Ali when she suffered breathing difficulties.
Datuk Dr Zainuddin Md Zain, Sharifah Aini's consultant respiratory physician said that the condition of her disease is rare and had caused the hardening and scarring of her lungs.
Sharifah Aini was one of the nation's greatest singers and she was known as 'Biduanita Negara'; a title for the country's highest award for female artistes due to her contribution to the music industry, people and country. She was the only female artiste to gain the title after the late Puan Sri Saloma.
Her career in the entertainment industry started in 1968 when she entered a singing competition called 'Bintang RTS' in Singapore and won the competition with her song "Tiga Malam".
A year after her victory, she was scouted by the EMI recording studio and debuted her album "Seri Dewi Malam" which was widely received by her fans in Malaysia and Singapore.
In Malaysia, Sharifah Aini was the only artiste to stay in her recording company, EMI for a long time. Thus, as a token of appreciation, her name was listed in the Malaysian Book of Records as a repayment for her contributions and services to the country.
Sharifah Aini was known internationally as well, as she had gained popularity in Asian countries including Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia. She also had concerts held in European countries and attained several titles like; Malaysia's Elizabeth Taylor, Malaysia's Dolly Parton, Sparkles Diamond Of EMI Malaysia, Malaysia's Queen of Music and more.
Sharifah Aini won several notable awards which brought her to an international level. Her achievements include Best Entertainer Award (1972-1977), Popular Female Entertainer Award (1970-1976, 1979), Best Actress Award for her 1977 film, "Hapuslah Airmatamu", Queen of Melody Award (2000), 'Biduanita' of All Time Award, Golden Era Award (2002) and more.
Sharifah Aini's body will be brought to At-Taqwa Mosque after the Subuh Prayers and she will be buried in Muslim burial ground at Bukit Kiara before the Zuhur prayers.
