Aziz Sattar's passing felt by every layer of society

The passing of legendary actor Datuk Abdul Aziz Sattar early Tuesday morning is not only being mourned by his family but also the nation's leaders, colleagues and fans of Malay films who regard his death as a huge loss to the nation.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak also expressed his sadness via Twitter.

"I am sad at the demise of Datuk Abdul Aziz Sattar. There goes an artiste. Al-Fatihah".

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin also uploaded a photo of himself with the Abdul Aziz on Twitter accompanied by the words "Datuk Aziz Sattar, 1/3 of Bujang Lapok. Legend. Thank you for brightening our lives. Al Fatihah."

His colleagues also expressed sadness on Twitter including actress Sharifah Amani who uploaded messages such as "Thank you for the years of laughter and irreplaceable memories. Al Fatihah Pak Aziz Sattar. Forever.".

Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina uploaded her status on Facebook among others saying "We lost Aziz Sattar today. He was one of the last remaining stars of our golden era of cinema. Thank you for making us laugh and cry watching your movies again and again "Uncle" Aziz."

Fans also voiced their grief over his death. A Twitter user known as Ahmad T wrote "Arts gem Abdul Aziz is gone. Al-Fatehah for the late Abdul Aziz. When alive, we were entertained. What is our contribution now that he has died?"

Abdul Aziz died at the age of 89 early Tuesday morning at the KPJ Hospital in Kajang after being admitted since three days ago after a heart attack. The passing of a valuable national figure impacts deeply in every layer of society regardless of age, specifically those who grew up with his films.

Meanwhile, Datuk Abdul Aziz Singah or more well-known as Aziz Singah, 73, said before he died, Abdul Aziz appeared thin and weak but did not want to tell his problems to others.

"He was experiencing ill-health when I met him last month at a ceremony organised by the Malaysian National Film Development Corporation but he did not show it.

"On films, society saw him as someone who is always funny and cheerful, outside of film he was sometimes a serious person," he said when contacted by Bernama.

1Malaysia Artiste Foundation president Datuk Irwan Shah Abdullah, more popularly known as DJ Dave, said the last time he saw Abdul Aziz was five months ago during a function to hand over contributions to veteran artistes.

"I knew him since the 1970s and saw him as a cheerful person who liked to entertain the public," he added.