SHAH ALAM - After being hospitalised for two days, popular singer and actor from the 1970s Datuk Hail Amir, 77, breathed his last at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) at about 4.24pm today due to a lung infection.
The news was confirmed by his son-in-law Aiman Farhan.Aiman said Hail's remains will be brought to the Ukay Perdana mosque in Ampang to allow family members and close friends to pay their final respects before the burial process at the Ukay Perdana Muslim Cemetery.
"He passed away peacefully in the presence of his wife and children.
"We took my father-in-law to the hospital last Saturday after he complained of feeling unwell and had been coughing for a long time. There were no signs of abnormalities shown then," he said.
Aiman added that the deceased also spent time celebrating Aidilfitri with the family recently.
"Even during the festive season, he did not show any signs of change.
"We only noticed that he looked tired and walked using a walking stick," he said.
Hail was known for his songs such as "Ku Ingin Selalu Di Sampingmu", "Semakin Hari Semakin Sayang","Wajah Kesayangan Hamba","Antara Matamu dan Mataku" and also Hari Raya song "Seloka Hari Raya", a duet with veteran singer Uji Rashid.
He moved to Kuala Lumpur in 1971 and was invited to join the cultural club at the Youth and Sports Ministry.
Hail, whose real name is Abdul Hail Amir, was also talented in playing boria and honed his acting skills in his first film "Jiwa Remaja" in 1975 alongside Uji and director and producer Datuk Yusof Haslam.
Among his other films were "Menanti Hari Esok" (1977), "Cinta dan Lagu" (1976), "Dendang Perantau" and "Sesejuk Airmata Ibu" (1979), "Anita Dunia Ajaib" (1981) and "Jaket Biru" (1991).
For his contributions to arts, Hail who hailed from Kampung Kebun Lama, Penang was awarded the Panglima Mahkota Wilayah (PMW) honorific title of Datuk by the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, during the Federal Territory Awards Ceremony 2022.
Hail is survived by his wife Datin Safiah Ibrahim and four children, Chintafifi, Chintahailfi, Chintasyafiana and Lutfi Ameer, as well as nine grandchildren.