KUALA LUMPUR: The nephew of the late legendary singer Datuk Sudirman Arshad has called on companies to stop producing and marketing goods under his name.
Razman Azrai Zainudin or Atai, 46, said companies and individuals who come up with such products should seek his approval first as he was Sudirman’s estate manager.
“All products or brands which carry Sudirman’s name and image need the approval of Sudirman Asset Management. That includes books, films, TV programmes, video clips, concerts, restaurants and shops. On behalf of
his family, I call on all fans of Sudirman to respect his legacy and our rights,” he said in a news report yesterday.
Sudirman died at the age of 38 on Feb 22, 1992. The phenomenal entertainer from Temerloh, Pahang, stamped Malaysian music on the world map, and rocketed to fame after winning talent search show Bintang RTM in 1976.
The law graduate’s illustrious musical career lasted 16 years, during which he also became a composer, lyricist, actor, writer, cartoonist and entrepreneur.
On April 14, 1986, Sudirman held an open-air concert in Chow Kit Road, and the street concert drew a record 100,000-strong crowd.
The peak of his popularity came in 1989 when he won Best Performer at the Asia Music Awards 1989 held at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
As a writer, Sudirman penned a children’s book titled Taming Si Budak Pintar. He also starred in a film called Kami which was released in 1982.
After his death, he was posthumously awarded an Anugerah Industri Muzik award, and a street in his hometown was named after him, Jalan Sudirman.
In 2014, Malaysia’s 57th National Day’s theme Di Sini Lahirnya Sebuah Cinta paid tribute to his song Warisan.
Sudirman, who has 14 albums to his credit, was awarded a posthumous Datukship from Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang in 2009. He received the Darjah Indera Mahkota Pahang.