1970s Indonesian singer Bob Tutupoly has died, aged 82

Veteran Indonesian singer Bob Tutupoly has passed away at the age 82 after reports of declining health including a stroke.

Tutupoly passed away just after midnight on July 5 after his family found him unresponsive earlier at 11pm, according to a Kompas report. Tutupoly’s friend Stanley Tulung told the outlet that the singer had been preparing to undergo a blood transfusion to address his high blood pressure the following morning after completing treatment for a stroke he suffered earlier last year.

Tutupoly’s cause of death is still unknown.

The singer is currently being interred at the Rumah Duka Rumah Sakit Siloam Semanggi in Setiabudi, South Jakarta. Funeral arrangements will be announced soon.

Tutupoly’s extensive career has seen him perform across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, and even finding some success in the US as part of The Midnighters before taking on the role of musical ambassador for New York’s Restoran Ramayana. Tutupoly returned from the US to Indonesia in 1976 and recorded his most popular single, ‘Widuri’, going on to become a commercial success in his homeland with his following releases including ‘Lidah Tak Bertulang’, ‘Tiada Maaf Bagimu’ and ‘Tinggi Gunung Seribu Janji’.

He was honoured with the Legend Award at the 2015 edition of Anugerah Musik Indonesia.

Several Indonesian artists have paid tribute to Tutupoly in the wake of his passing, including singer Andien, who shared the last conversation she had with Tutupoly on WhatsApp on her now-expired Instagram Stories, having wished him a speedy recovery upon finding out he was in the hospital in December last year.

Andien shared, “Last year, Bob had a call for me. He (out of the blue) asked, why is my WhatsApp status ‘Love & Light’? What is my religion? I told him, ‘I’m a Muslim’. He said he was very grateful and happy to find out that ‘Love & Light’ was in every religion.”

“He asked to be sent my latest photo with [Andien’s children] Kawa and Tabi. Thank you for being an important part of my life, Oom. Have a good rest in peace. Filled with Love and Light.”

Selamat jalan The one and only om Bob Tutupoli Rest in love..

— RIAN D’MASIV (@RianEkkyP) July 4, 2022

Singer Yuni Shara also paid tribute to Tutupoly by reposting an Instagram video of herself with the singer taken when she went to visit him while he was recovering from stroke. Shara can be seen hugging a wheelchair-bound Tutupoly in the video, who responds with a wide smile. “Safe journey Bob Tutupoly,” she wrote in her caption.

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A post shared by WahyuSetyaningBudi (@yunishara36)

Selamat Jalan Om Bob Tutupoly https://t.co/9MKzqLFVGi

— MOCCA (@moccaofficial) July 5, 2022

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