DATUK A. Rahman Hassan, who died at 73 yesterday was not one who confined his interests to music. He was a man for all seasons.
Istana Budaya director-general Datuk Juhari Shaarani said A. Rahman was a knowledgeable and passionate artiste.
“He followed theatre, television and film enthusiastically, and rightly so since his son, Khir, was a respected actor,” said Juhari, who had known A. Rahman since 1986.
Juhari said he worked with A. Rahman when they were both officers of the National Arts, Culture and Heritage Department in the 1980s and 1990s.
A. Rahman became a board member of the National Arts, Culture and Heritage Academy or Aswara.
“Our last meeting took place a month ago at Istana Budaya, and it was a joyous buka puasa. We did a lot of catching up. Every year, he never failed to attend our plays or concerts at the national theatre. In fact, he appeared as the main artiste in five concerts over the years.”
“A. Rahman always told me that he wanted his rock band, Nirwana, to celebrate its 50th anniversary at Istana Budaya with a celebration of ‘pop yeh yeh’ music. He achieved this dream in 2015, and the show was a hit with Malaysians.”
Juhari said A. Rahman often collected the scripts of Bahasa Malaysia plays. Sadly, most of them were burnt in a fire at the department’s office in the late 1980s.
Veteran singer Hail Amir said A. Rahman was like an abang long (big brother) to him.
“He gave me lots of good advice when I was a young artiste in the 1970s. He said only clean artistes would stand the test of time, and I had to take good care of my public image,” he said.
“Whenever I faced problems, he was there to listen to me. When I first met him, I thought he was a serious man, but he turned out to be easy-going, humorous and open-minded.
“We kept in touch over the years. I’ll miss him dearly.”
Actress and director Melissa Saila said her late mother Mariani Ismail admired A. Rahman as one of the country’s finest musicians.
“After Tan Sri P. Ramlee and Panca Sitara, Nirwana was the flag-bearer of pop yeh yeh. He was the cool guy who rocked big time in the 1970s,” she added.
Melissa said she got to know A. Rahman better whenever she collaborated with his son, actor Khir Rahman.
“Datuk (A. Rahman) was Khir’s biggest fan. Each time I visited Khir, he would have a hearty chat with me. Despite not being an actor, he loved Malaysian dramas and films. In fact, he cared for the entertainment industry and helped needy artistes through his involvements in artiste associations,” said Melissa.
Actor Pekin Ibrahim, a friend of Khir, said A. Rahman had a keen interest in the new generation of singers, actors and directors, and always encouraged them to “go global”.
“He may be from my parents’ generation, but his interest in music and film was timeless. I always looked up to him as a father figure. He motivated me to outdo myself and aim higher in my career.”
Actor Joey Daud said A. Rahman had great respect for singer-actors, because he believed that the more talents one had, the better his career would be.
“I first met him about a decade ago, when we shared the stage with Datuk M. Nasir. I was at first a little scared of Datuk since he looked serious. But he was a gentle person. We had a great conversation backstage and shared lots of jokes,” he added.
“As a Johor Baru-born artiste, I’m deeply saddened by his death, for he has always been a golden son of JB. I’ll always remember his advice — give an honest performance and never let fame get into your head.”
Joey last met A. Rahman at the premiere of his comedy, Tiada Tajuk, in April.
Rock singer Datuk Hattan described A. Rahman as a “mentor and good friend” whom he had known for three decades.
“He was a father figure of Malaysian rock music. He taught me a lot about giving a good performance. The key to doing this was to communicate with the audience and establish eye contact with them. He told me, connect with your fans, so that they will connect with you.”
Yayasan Kebajikan Artis Tanah Air (YKAT) president Datuk DJ Dave described A. Rahman as a “dear friend” who cared for artistes.
“We are founder members and trustees of YKAT and he had worked for the welfare of needy artistes. He gave lots of feedback for the success of artiste associations.”
Karyawan president Datuk Freddie Fernandez said A. Rahman’s contributions to music would be remembered.
“As a rock artiste, he was a trend-setter. Malaysia has lost a legend.”
Veteran journalist Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar said A. Rahman was an icon who shaped Malaysian music alongside M. Osman and Datuk Jeffrydin.
“His most famous song, Tak Mengapa, was evergreen and iconic, enjoyed by Malaysians of all ages.
“He was a shining star in Malaysian showbiz who not only excelled as a singer and musician, but dedicated his life to helping less fortunate artistes by his involvement in non-governmental organisations.
“His passing is a major loss to Malaysia,” he said.
A. Rahman, who was born in Johor Baru, was the founder, leader, vocalist and main guitarist of Orkes Nirwana, which was listed as the country’s oldest pop and rock group by the Malaysia Book Of Records in 2005.
He was Nirwana’s composer and lyricist.
The 55-year-old band’s most famous songs included Bimbang, Cincin Belah Rotan, Hanya Untukku and Nikmat Yang Tak Ternilai.
Some songs, most notably Syurga Idaman, were performed by his late wife and bandmate, Datin Azizah Mohamad, who died of cancer in 2013.
In a 2017 interview, A. Rahman said his band was influenced by British pop and rock acts, such as The Shadows and The Beatles.
Besides leading Papita (National Singers, Musicians and Lyricists Association), A. Rahman also helmed the Malaysian Artistes’ Council and Malaysian Music Council.
“As long as I’m fit to play my guitar, I’ll continue to give fans a rocking good time with pop yeh yeh. This genre is uniquely Malaysian, and I’m happy that it’s being enjoyed by the youths of today,” he said.
A. Rahman is survived by two sons and his wife, Datin Fadilah Mansor, 59, whom he married on Dec 25, 2014.
Farewell, godfather of pop yeh yeh!