KUALA LUMPUR: The late Farit Ismeth Emir was a "father figure" to former Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) host Iesya Sanny Toh.
His death from cancer last Monday devastated her, for he always had kind words of advise for the former Selamat Pagi Malaysia (SPM) host and often guided her during her days in RTM.
Iesya, whose real name is Nor Iesyatirradiah Sanny Toh, said in a news report yesterday that Farit, whom she addressed as Pak Ngah, was her "sifu" in broadcasting.
"He was a very nice man, like a father figure to me and my contemporaries in RTM. He was always warm and approachable, and best of all, he had many words of wisdom which I will always cherish," said Iesya in a news report yesterday.
Iesya, 37, said that Farit's best piece of advise was for hosts to develop their own trademarks, so that viewers could easily recognise them.
"He told me that developing my own trademark would bring me closer to viewers. And he showed the way on Dunia Jam 10 by dishing out his famous afterthoughts at the end of the news programme, as well as his catchphrase 'fikir-fikirkan'," she said.
"On my part, I bonded with viewers with my cheerful and informal ways on SPM. Pak Ngah said that was a good way to brand myself, and I'll always thank him for that."
Iesya also said that Farit advised her not to give up hosting television programmes as it was her true calling.
"Pak Ngah attended my wedding reception which was held in the padang of Angkasapuri in 2015. In his congratulatory message, he hoped that I would continue to be a host since I was doing a great job, and it was always good to stick to one's true calling."
Iesya, who hosted Datuk Rosyam Nor's actor search Pilih Kasih on RTM from 2009 to 2011, married Mohamad Huzairee Muhamad in 2015. They have two children aged 4 and 2.
Farit, 66, died of cancer at Assunta Hospital, Petaling Jaya.He is the father of hip-hop singer, composer and producer Farzwa De Attaher Emir or DJ Fuzz, a founder member of the hip-hop and pop group Teh Tarik Crew.