Singer, actress Adibah Noor dies at 51

KUALA LUMPUR: Singer and actress Adibah Noor Mohamed Omar, better known as Adibah Noor, died tonight after a battle with cervical cancer.

The popular entertainer died at Gleneagles Hospital here at about 7.45 pm. She was 51.

Her death was confirmed by fellow artiste friends on social media, among them Datin Emylia Rosnaida Abdul Hamid.

Meanwhile, singer and actress Aishah An-Nur Osman, popularly known as Ani Mayuni, when contacted said Adibah had shared about her medical condition but requested her and friends from the entertainment fraternity to keep it private.

"She told us not to reveal that she was in pain," she said, adding that Adibah's health deteriorated further after participating in the 'Gegar Vaganza' (GV) singing competition.

"After the conclusion of GV and just before the shooting of the GV Raya edition, she began getting fevers off and on and she was warded for quite a long time.

"It felt strange as to why it was taking a long time for her to be discharged. We thought it may be due to COVID-19, but only when I asked her personally did she reveal that she had cancer and had just undergone an operation.

"She was recuperating and did not accept all of the shows offered, her recent pictures posted (on social media) where she appeared to have lost weight was her first show after her recuperation period," Ani, who also participated in the same GV season as Adibah, said.

Meanwhile, Emylia Rosnaida, in a Facebook post, said she was shocked to hear about Adibah's death and went on to describe her as a versatile artiste.

Actress Dynas Mokhtar, in an Instagram post, also expressed sadness over the news.

"I am still shocked! KakDip (Adibah Noor) was fun, caring, kind-hearted and she has the most beautiful voice. I am so going to miss you KakDip. Gone from our sight but never from our hearts," she said.

Adibah is the singer and lyricist of the hit song 'Terlalu Istimewa' in 2005, composed as a heartfelt tribute to the little girl who was murdered in a pedophilia criminal case.

The 'Sepet' and 'Mukhsin' actress was also known in various television commercials and used to be a presenter for Suria FM.

Prior to her artistic career, the singer was an English teacher, translator for corporate companies and ambassador for the Ministry of Housing and Local Government.

Adibah also won the Best Song, Best Ballad Song and Best Vocal awards at the 2006 'Anugerah Juara Lagu' singing competition.

-- BERNAMA