KUALA LUMPUR: Malay music and film icon Nona Asiah has died at the Changi General Hospital in Singapore at 4.25am this morning. She was 94.
Local media reported that her death was confirmed by her youngest son, Indra Shahrir Ismail.
He said Nona, whose real name is Asiah Aman, had been receiving treatment for kidney, lung, and heart issues for the past two months.
Indra said he was the only child to be with his mother when she died, as other siblings and grandchildren were in Australia.
Her funeral would take place tomorrow.
Nona Asiah's career began to blossom when she worked as a background singer for films produced by Shaw Brothers and Cathay Keris Malay Films.
She also studied music and singing under the guidance of the late composer Pak Zubir Said.
Fondly known as Mak Nona, she recorded her first songs in 1949, 'Ciumku Lagi', a Malay cover of the Spanish song Besame Mucho, and 'Bunga Sakura'.
Among her famous tunes include 'Manusia Miskin Kaya', 'Jikalau Abang Merindu', 'Dunia Asmara', and 'Ingin Tahu'.
Apart from being a singer, the mother of five is also a skilled seamstress, sewing clothing items for big names in the entertainment industry, including for the late Puan Sri Saloma, the late Siput Sarawak, and the late Kartina Dahari, among others.