Sudirman Arshad

Sudirman Arshad was a Malaysian singer and songwriter who rose to fame after winning the Bintang RTM singing competition in 1976. He was also a trained lawyer, a composer, a writer, a cartoonist, a businessman and an actor. He was known as the "Singing Lawyer", the "People's Singer", the "Patriotic Singer" and the "Elvis Presley and Claude François of Malaysia" in his native country. He was awarded the title of "1989 Asia's No. 1 Performer" at the Asian Popular Music Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall in London. He was also the first Malaysian singer to perform at the Sydney Opera House. He was widely admired for his humble and generous personality, as well as his devotion to Islam. He adopted and raised an Indian boy from a poor family and actively sought charity work through the Singers, Musicians and Composers Association of Malaysia (PAPITA). He died at the age of 37 from pneumonia, which was a complication of his tuberculosis. He was buried with full military honors at the Chengal Muslim Cemetery in Temerloh, Pahang. His legacy lives on through his popular songs and his patriotic spirit, which inspired many Malaysians during his lifetime and after his death.