KUALA LUMPUR: Legendary singer Anita Sarawak has been awash in a sea of speculation ever since she left fans in the dark over her sudden disappearance from the world of show business way back in 2011.
Some stories perpetuating along the grapevine included one rumour where the 66-year-old diva, warmly known as Kak Nita to fans, had returned to the US to live in Las Vegas.
Another told of the Seksis and Tragedi Buah Epal singer making a new life for herself in France after having settled down there for the past several years.
Then chatter of Anita heading back to live in her birth country of Singapore started to gain traction last year when a fan apparently saw the flamboyant celeb at a restaurant in a remote area of Ang Mo Kio.
The fan claimed that the woman was Anita herself and that the black-haired Caucasian man next to her was the artiste’s English husband, Mahathir Abdullah.
“Judging from her voice and her lips I’m confident that it was Kak Nita, although her features were sunken and her hair wasn’t coloured anymore.
“She looked really different and had a sickly appearance. I was seated two tables away and I also saw her taking some medication,” the fan was reported to have said last year.
A sliver of revelation to her whereabouts also came to light last year when a property sales and purchase document allegedly belonging to the pop singer, whose real name is Ithnaini Mohd Taib, went viral online.
It was reported that Anita and her husband had apparently sold their home in Spring Valley, Las Vegas, for about RM1.4 million to Lawrence and Roselinda Cohen on July 31 last year.
Further investigation and information acquired had revealed that Anita’s husband was still working in the vicinity of Las Vegas at the time, and that the couple had purchased a new home to the tune of RM1.3 million on October 4 last year as well. Their residence was apparently a 22-minute drive away from the famous Las Vegas Strip.
But the speculation continues with the latest news on Anita rumoured to have had received treatment for cancer from a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur.
A fellow senior artiste and good friend had apparently visited her but had kept mum about the details after making a promise to Anita not to divulge any further information on the matter.
Rumour has it though that the once ebullient entertainer was now a changed person in appearance and that her fans would not be able to recognise her anymore.
Whatever the case, the beloved superstar is still shrouded in mystery and secrecy with no real clues that would lead to the truth about her actual whereabouts or condition.
All we can do, especially during this holy month of Ramadan, is to pray for her wellbeing and happiness.