Adibah Noor's inner circle remembers the most defining moments of her shining career over the last three decades
The Malaysian entertainment industry has lost a legend. Adibah Noor passed away on June 18, 2022 from cervical cancer. Her death has been deeply felt within the community, with tributes pouring in about talented 51-year-old multi-hyphenate's genuine warmth and kindness to everybody she encountered.
Adibah's journey started in 1994 when she participated and emerged as a champion on RTM's singing competition, Suara 90an Nescafe. She was working as an English teacher at the time. From there, she branched into hosting and acting on TV and film, winning over Malaysians with her effortless charisma and comedic charm and becoming a household name. She was involved in some of Malaysia's most beloved projects, including the late Yasmin Ahmad's films Sepet and Talentime, Astro's educational programme Oh My English! and many more.
See also: Remembering Jit Murad, One of Malaysia's Finest Playwrights
To keep the memory of this incomparable talent alive for the next generation, her close friends and colleagues share some of their favourite moments from Adibah Noor's long career and what it meant for them to be part of her life.
Sean Ghazi
Actor-singer Sean Ghazi shares a heartwarming story about one of his first encounters with Adibah: "I remember her singing At Last. That was the first song I heard her sing, on the concourse at (Suria) KLCC. I heard this voice and ran to see who it was.
"In my opinion, she had the best voice in the industry. I feel that we were yet to see her best, which is heartbreaking," he says, reflecting on the many years he has known and worked closely with the late singer. "She was a gem. She was great to work with, a team player and very, very generous—she refused to take payment for her guest vocals on my album, Semalam, although I insisted.
"I will miss her very much. We really have lost someone very very special."