KUALA LUMPUR: Veteran singer Ibnor Riza, 62, died of cancer at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in Bandar Tun Razak here today.
His close friend, veteran singer Datuk Salwa Abdul Rahman, confirmed his death in an Instagram post around 4pm which read: "My dear friend Ibnor Riza left us at 3.30pm. May he rest in peace and be placed amongst the righteous."
Ibnor's widow Sarimah Suleiman, 51, also confirmed his death and said that he would be laid to rest in his hometown of Batu Kikir near Bahau, Negri Sembilan.
On Dec 2, Ibnor underwent brain surgery as the cancer had spread to the right side of his brain. He lapsed into a coma following surgery and did not regain consciousness.
In an interview on Sept 1, Ibnor revealed that he had only six months to live, but he would not give up on his battle to fight the stage 4 lymphoma cancer.
"My doctors' honest 'revelation' had been made based on their professional experience, but I still believe that in the end, everything is in God's power and I still have to keep on fighting this cancer.
"I still have my family, whose support has given me the strength to go on in this battle. I can't disappoint them," said Ibnor who was diagnosed with cancer in January.
Ibnor, whose best known songs are Meneka Dalam Kesamaran and Mimpi Yang Tak Sudah, was popular in the 1980s and rose to fame after participating in the talent search Bintang RTM 1984.
He released eight studio albums between 1987 and 2007.
