KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 — Renowned composer Tan Sri Dr Ahmad Nawab passed away at the age of 92 due to old age at around 3.15pm today at his residence in Taman Melewar, Gombak.
The news of Ahmad Nawab’s passing, whose real name was Ahmad Khan Wahab Khan, was confirmed by his granddaughter, Teh Suraya Nasir Khan, when contacted by Bernama.
“He wasn’t suffering from any illness, just a fever over the past two or three days, which might have been a sign. Alhamdulillah, he passed away peacefully,” she said.
Teh Suraya added that the late Ahmad Nawab’s remains are expected to be laid to rest tomorrow morning at the Raudhatul Sakinah Islamic Cemetery in Kuala Lumpur-Karak.
Beginning his music career at the age of 16, Ahmad Nawab was conferred the title of the seventh Seniman Negara (National Artiste) by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage in 2006, the nation’s highest recognition for artistes, particularly in the field of music.
Throughout his illustrious career, Ahmad Nawab produced more than 200 albums, featuring local and Indonesian artistes such as Hetty Koes Endang and Broery Marantika.
He also composed the iconic Malaysia Truly Asia song, performed by Datuk Khadijah Ibrahim, which became a symbolic tourism anthem promoting Malaysia internationally.
Ahmad Nawab, who served with the RTM Orchestra for 17 years, won numerous awards, including the Merak Kayangan Award for Best Song for his debut composition Bintang Malam in 1980.
In recognition of his expertise and achievements, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) awarded him an Honorary Doctorate in Writing in 2000. — Bernama
