KUALA LUMPUR: The late legend of song Datuk Sharifah Aini once said that she was a big fan of Adibah Noor. Sharifah had described Adibah as the woman who could "more than" fit into her shoes as she had a powerful voice, was a versatile talent, had a big heart and was a true Malaysian.
"Adibah is our answer to versatile Queen Latifah. I love her so much!"
She was right. Adibah mesmerised Malaysians and touched many lives throughout her three-decade entertainment career.
A TESL (Teaching of English as a Second Language) graduate from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, she first taught English in schools, before venturing into singing, acting and hosting programmes.
She made a magnificent entry into showbiz in 1994, when she handsomely won Suara 90-an Nescafe, a talent search held in the federal capital.
While she had her fair share of "weightist" detractors, she took everything in her stride, and persevered.
Very soon, she became a much-sought-after singer thanks to her superb vocals, cheerful and playful personality, humility and kindness.
And by the time her colourful journey came to an end on Saturday, she was mourned by Malaysians from all walks of life, and almost everyone who knew her had only kind words for her.
WOMAN OF MANY TALENTS
There was no doubt that she was versatile as a "super" singer, actress and television host.
But what made her different from others was that she wore her heart on her sleeve at all times, and lived by the principle of hating the sin, not the sinner.
She made friends with her musical collaborators as well as artistes, producers, directors and musicians.
She was able to rub shoulders with VVIPs, many of whom were mesmerised by her singing, wit and wisdom.
If there is one Malaysian in showbiz who could be described as a woman for all seasons, it had to be Adibah, or Kak Dib to her closest chums.
BELOVED FIGURE
While Adibah did have the occasional cikgu garang (fierce teacher) look, she never lost her temper, and as a result, many affectionately dubbed her Big Mama.
Even when she participated in TV3 reality show Mentor 3, her Kota Belud-born protege Thye Sain, who was initially intimidated by her penetrating gaze, quickly warmed up to her.
Adibah was not a mere entertainer, but an edu-tainer as well.
She held strong views about women's rights, national unity and human values, and was strident about speaking out against sexism, violent crimes and racism.
In fact, she always encouraged her showbiz chums to strive to be better than yesterday, not only in terms of work, but also in health and family relations.
Ever so humble, she often admitted that she, too, was working hard to make herself healthier.
After winning the Nescafe contest, she was spotted by late filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad, who had her star in short TV films for TV3 and Petronas, especially during the World Cup and festive seasons.
These short but sweet films famously included one where Adibah "pulverised" American actor Dwayne Johnson in his dressing room and forced her diminutive on-screen husband to "eat" his football.
Yasmin later got Adibah to play the ever-reliable housemaid Kak Yam in her Orked series of movies, beginning with Sepet and ending with Mukhsin.
As Kak Yam, Adibah endeared herself to Malaysians of all races.
She was that big, strong, friendly and intelligent maid who kept the heroine Orked and her parents grounded.
As a singer, her best known hit song was one with lots of love, too.
Terlalu Istimewa, which earned her Best Performance, Best Vocals and Best Song in Anugerah Juara Lagu 21, was dedicated to a little girl who met a gruesome death at the hands of a sexual predator in Johor in 2006.
Her love was not only for humans, but also for four-legged furry friends, especially cats.
She played mama to more than a dozen of them, and had them co-star with her on social media.
In fact, when one naughty Netizen asked her to post him a sexy photo of herself, she taught him a costly lesson by posting a photo of her "sexy" pet cat napping on her sofa with the caption, "here you go".
BACK TO EDUCATE
Towards the end of her life, she went full circle by becoming an English teacher again.
The difference was that she taught English to Malaysians, by giving constructive criticism of radio and TV announcers' pronunciation of English words.
And just like the kindly and motherly school teacher she was, she spoke gently and kindly while correcting mistakes.
She even corrected the pronunciations of one minister, who later thanked her for that.
POSITIVE OUTLOOK ON LIFE
Adibah, who always thought positively and looked at the bright side of life, made many friends and always kept an open mind.
Along the way, she made artistes feel good about themselves, and also follow in her footsteps of sharing and caring, even if it merely meant secretly paying the restaurant bill.
Perhaps the one thing in life she did not achieve was finding Mr Right.
In an interview last year, she said that she had been "in and out of love" five times.
"Life is good. I am surrounded with wonderful friends who love and care for me, and make me happy."
"While it would be good to find Mr Right someday, I have learnt to not look back with regret, and always cherish the most important things in life that make me happy.
"What matters most is having a good career, getting along great with my family, having great friends and most of all, being happy with who I am."
Rest in peace, Adibah. We will miss you.