KUALA LUMPUR: Moved by his plight as a result of a stroke last July, old friends of veteran crooner Datuk Dahlan Zainuddin, 76, are planning a tribute dinner for him in January.
Veteran journalist Tony Mariadass said the dinner is likely to be held at the National Press Club (NPC) at Jalan Tangsi here at 7.30pm on Jan 20.
Mariadass said: “The dinner is for football-loving friends and fans of Dahlan to give him moral support as he undergoes treatment and recovers gradually.
“We will be inviting the New Straits Times Press (NSTP) footballers who played under Dahlan’s captaincy – which includes me – in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
“We will also be inviting his colleagues from the marketing and advertising department of NSTP, past and present, and plan to collect a minimum of RM100 per person. A small portion will be used for the function that night (dinner and band), and the rest will be donated to Dahlan.”
Mariadass related that in his heyday, Dahlan was an outstanding midfielder for the team.
Yesterday, Dahlan said that he has been undergoing physiotherapy for six months at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital and the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital. He also has to visit the National Heart Institute.
Dahlan is now able to remember his favourite songs because he sang them to himself regularly during his convalescence and identified with the music and lyrics behind them.
The artiste recently impressed guests with his ability to sing at a dinner on Dec 3. He took to the microphone at the Ulu Klang Recreation Club (UKRC), Ulu Klang.