KUALA LUMPUR: The late veteran crooner Mohamad Fauzi Darus or Jay Jay was a "great man in every sense" in the eyes of popular singer Liza Hanim.
Liza, 45, said that Jay Jay, who died of a heart ailment aged 67 yesterday, was a dear friend and mentor who respected everyone and worked well with his peers and juniors in music.
"Jay Jay was kind and friendly to everyone, and always humble.
"He could be a strict disciplinarian and perfectionist when it came to work, but he was always down to earth and got along great with me," she said at a press conference to announce Malam Amal Tabung Pahlawan 2024, her coming concert in aid of Malaysian Armed Forces veterans.
The press conference was held at Wisma Perwira ATM in the Defence Ministry, Jalan Padang Tembak here today, and was also attended by Defence Ministry Veteran Affairs Department director-general Major-General Datuk Zambery Jefry Darus.
Describing Jay Jay as "a man for all seasons", Liza said that she fondly remembered that the late singer coaxed her to sing with him in a hotel on her birthday two decades ago, and thanked her by delivering a birthday cake to her hotel room.
"I was reluctant to sing on that evening, but he persuaded me to join him on stage.
"After we said goodnight and retired to our rooms, little did I realise that the hotel staff had delivered a nice little cake to my room, with his name signed on it!"
Liza said that she would always cherish Jay Jay's kind gesture and would always miss one of the country's "handsomest and finest gentlemen of song".
"We last met during Gegar Vaganza last year, where he showed up to give me support.
"I wanted to visit him in the hospital when he was sick, but alas, he went too soon," said Liza, who hopes that the music industry will organise a special concert to honour Jay Jay soon.
Jay Jay died at Thomson Hospital in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya at 9.27pm on Sunday.
He underwent heart surgery at the National Heart Institute in Jalan Tun Razak here on May 23, but his health deteriorated following a stroke in June.
Jay Jay, whose best-known songs include Belaian Jiwa, Joget Angan Tak Sudah and Rindu Bayangan, is survived by his wife Zaitoon Wahid, 61, four children and six grandchildren.
Malam Tabung Amal Pahlawan with the theme Meraikan Bintang, Metamorfosis Hadapan will be held at Dewan Perkasa, Wisma Perwira ATM from 8pm to 10.30pm on Sept 24.
It is organised by the Veteran Affairs Department and the Armed Forces Veterans' Foundation in aid of needy Armed Forces veterans.
It will be attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who will launch the new Veterans' Digital Card which will enable the veterans to benefit from various government benefits online.
A total of 500,000 Armed Forces veterans will benefit from the digital card which utilises the Veteran Integrated Benefit System (Vibes) 2.0.
Liza will team up with veteran crooner Datuk Jamal Abdillah to entertain 700 guests at the dinner, and they will perform 6 to 10 songs each.
Tables for 10 are priced from RM10,000 to RM50,000.
The organisers hope to raise RM2 million for needy Armed Forces veterans at the charity dinner.
For more information call 019-6576127 (Adawiyah) or 012-7398586 (Nur Indra Dini).