SINGAPORE - Comedian Alias Kadir, who made his name in local Malay television, died on Monday morning (June 28) at National University Hospital (NUH). He was 58.
According to Malay newspaper Berita Harian, he had been hospitalised in NUH for more than a month after his right leg was amputated due to gangrene. His left leg was amputated in 2017 as a result of diabetes. He was also suffering from several other ailments including pneumonia.
His death comes a week and a half after welfare organisation Jamiyah Singapore launched Projek Permata (Project Gem), a donation drive that aims to cover his hospital fees and rehabilitation costs.
The actor, whose real name is Mohd Osman Ahmad, was most recently seen on television in the fourth season of Bubur Masjid Air Katira (Mosque Porridge Katira Drink), a comedy on Mediacorp's Malay channel Suria which aired from April to May this year. He played Rahmat, a mosque committee member.
Alias became prominent in the 1990s and was part of a comedy group, Unsangkarable. He was also known for Malay sitcoms such as Sikit Lebih Kurang (A Little Give And Take, 1996) and regularly appeared in comedy skits on Suria's annual Hari Raya variety show, Sinar Lebaran.
He appeared on the big screen in a home-grown English film, culinary romance Chicken Rice War (2000).
In 2018, he was part of a campaign for the Health Promotion Board where he spoke about how he had been living with diabetes since he was diagnosed with the illness in his early 40s.
On social media, many fans paid tribute to the comedian, who had six children from two marriages.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Maliki Osman praised his charity work and hailed him as a "comedian, actor, singer and entertainer who is always close to our hearts". "His passing is a loss to our community," he wrote in a Facebook post.
Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said in a Facebook post that he last saw the late artiste two months ago at the filming of a Hari Raya show at Wisma Geylang Serai.
"He was his usual bubbly self, chatty and always smiling. This morning I am saddened by the news of his passing. Singapore has lost a talented comedian."
