Photo: Instagram/@adibahnoormohdomar
Cover Photo: Instagram/@adibahnoormohdomar

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."

Atilia Haron

"As a performer, she was complete," says musician and actress Atilia Haron. "I am a lucky girl to get a chance to write and sing a song for and with her."

She is referring to Sandaranku, their tuneful duet about the power of friendship. 

Atilia emphasises the truth behind the song, in which Adibah was a pillar of strength and support for many in the industry. "She was someone I could lean on," she says. 

"There are too many memories I've shared with her," Atilia continues. "There was this one lunch where a group of fans came to our table for a picture. She was eating, so she declined. After five minutes, she felt so bad that she paid for their meal and went over to them for a picture… after she ate, of course!

"She was and still is so loved. I miss her mood swings, I miss her hugs, I miss her laugh."

Kuah Jenhan

As one of Malaysia's most established stand-up comedians and talkshow hosts, Kuah Jenhan's path often crossed with industry powerhouse Adibah, from participating in the PJ Laugh Fest 2012 to regularly hosting events and ceremonies together. "If there’s one song that I can remember most, it’s Terlalu Istimewa. I think I must have seen her sing it or something. I don’t know why it stuck," says Kuah. Terlalu Istimewa was taken from Adibah's first album, and won the top song and best vocalist prizes at Juara Lagu in 2006.

"I have a vague memory in early 2010s, a few years after I started performing, I was asked to host a big Malay live event for a TV network. Adibah was the co-host. When I told her that I was nervous, she assured me and guided me, and even planned out short skits we could do on stage to have fun. She had no airs about her at all even though she didn't know me, I wasn't from her scene, and I was a young entertainer. Then we became friends naturally.

"And once in a while, she would text me how much she loved pictures of my cat!" he adds with a laugh. 

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Jo Kukathas

"There are many, many more who worked closely with her," prefaces actress, writer and co-founder of The Instant Café Theatre Company. "I admired her work and loved her as a performer, she enjoyed and was warmly supportive of mine. We bonded over our love for cats and she encouraged me to write my book about my cats saying she would be the first person to get a copy.

"She loaned her haunting voice for the opening of a play I did called Pulau Antara. It gave the audience goosebumps and set the tone for this mystical island," recalls Kukathas. "She was so beloved as a comedy character but I loved her dramatic work in Fundamentally Happy, the Singaporean film that was foolishly banned in Malaysia. I’m sad Malaysians never got to see her in this."

She adds: "I'm also sad that I never got to work with her on a piece of theatre. It was something that we talked about but we never got the opportunity to do." 

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