Legendary comedic actor Abdul Wahid Haji Ahmad, better known as Wahid Satay, has died at the age of 93.
His granddaughter Mahirah Mohd Yasin told BERITAmediacorp that the late actor was found unresponsive on his bed on Monday morning (May 22) and had been suffering from diabetes and heart problems for a long time.
Wahid was hospitalised at Changi General Hospital last month for a bacterial infection that had spread to his heart.
Mahirah added: “After he was discharged from the hospital, he seemed okay and was even excited about celebrating Hari Raya with his family.”
Born in Sumatra, Indonesia, in 1930, Wahid migrated to Singapore in 1935 and studied at the Geylang Malay School. In 1956, he started working as a studio set painter at Cathay Keris Studios. His penchant for jokes caught the attention of director BN Rao who then offered him a role as a satay seller in the film Pontianak.
The film ended up being a resounding success which led to Wahid taking on the stage name: Wahid Satay.
In a career spanning over five decades, Wahid went on to star in more than 30 films including classics like Badang and Puteri Gunong Ledang. He also earned awards such as Best Comedian at the 1966 Asian Film Festival and the Perdana Emas at the 2007 Pesta Perdana ceremony.
