Indonesian arts icon Remy Sylado has died at 77

Indonesian multi-hyphenate artist Remy Sylado has died at 77.

Tribun News reported that news of the poet, writer, journalist, actor and singer’s passing began to break on the morning of December 12, with member of the People’s Representative Council Fadli Zon revealing on social media that Sylado had died. In a tweet, the politician shared a photo of himself by Sylado’s bedside and noted that they had had a chat just days prior about Elvis Presley and his manager Colonel Tom Parker.

In a tweet from December 10, Fadli Zon had shared photos of his visit to Sylado, revealing that the artist was ill but in good spirits.

Selamat jalan Bang Remy Sylado. Baru beberapa hari lalu ngobrol ttg Elvis Presley n manajernya Kolonel Tom Parker. RIP. pic.twitter.com/c29BkoFTtG

— FADLI ZON (Youtube: Fadli Zon Official) (@fadlizon) December 12, 2022

Menjenguk Bang Remy Sylado seorg novelis, penulis, aktor, penyanyi n pelukis yg masih terbaring sakit. Semangatnya tinggi, ingatannya masih tajam n suaranya lantang. Tapi tubuhnya masih terbaring. Smg lekas pulih Bang. pic.twitter.com/QHXTg2Loo8

— FADLI ZON (Youtube: Fadli Zon Official) (@fadlizon) December 10, 2022

The news of Sylado’s death was later confirmed by his friend and fellow arts figurehead Boy Worang, who wrote on Facebook that Sylado died in the morning of Monday, December 12. Sylado’s death was also confirmed by his son to CNN Indonesia.

Sylado had been in a recent period of ill health and suffered a stroke earlier this year on January 14, Tempo reported. He underwent treatment at the RSUD Tarakan in Cideng, North Jakarta before being allowed to return home in February.

Sylado, real name Yapi Panda Abdiel Tambayon, was born in July 1945. He first became a reporter with the Semarang-based daily newspaper Tempo, where he would become an editor by 1965. In his journalistic career, he would work at newspapers and magazines alike, including Sinar Harapan and Top.

While he is best known for his poetic efforts such as “Encek Peng Kun” and “Senja di Kamar”, having created his own rebellious, satirical genre of poetry he termed mbeling, Sylado would also go on to showcase his musical talents with two albums, ‘Orexas’, which was released in 1980, and ‘Bromocorah dan Putrinya’ in 1983.

Sylado was also an editor at the Indonesian music magazine Aktuil, which was a popular youth publication in the ’70s, published a book about the sociology of Indonesian music and had a stint teaching the history of music at Theater and Film College in Jakarta. Indonesian singer-songwriter Harry Roesli would go on to name Sylado a mentor in the art of “unconventional music”.

Sylado has published under many pseudonyms. The Sylado moniker in particular is said to be a reference to the opening notes of the song ‘And I Love Her’ by one of his noted influences The Beatles, which are rendered as Re Mi Si La Do in solfège.

Sylado was also deeply involved in Indonesia’s film industry as both an actor – who was nominated three times for a Citra Award at the Indonesian Film Festival – and a composer. He first music for Frans Totok Ars’ 1973 film Pelarian before extending his talents to the scores of the 1977 film Duo Kribo and the 1978 film Ombaknya Laut Mabuknya Cinta. Other films he has provided musical scores for include Kabayan I & II by Maman Firmansyah, Cas-Cis-Cus by Putu Wijaya, and Suci Sang Primadona by Arifin C. Noer.

Sylado’s book Ca Bau Kan, or The Courtesan, was also adapted by director Nia Dinata in 2001 for her feature film debut.

View tributes to Remy Sylado below.

“Agaknya orang Indonesia paling gampang sekali melibatkan Tuhan untuk hal-hal yang mestinya bisa diselesaikan oleh Pak RT.” (Remy Sylado, “Hotel Pro Deo”)
Remy sastrawan dg banyak karya, seperti Ca-Bau-Kan, Kerudung Merah Kirmizi, Kembang Jepun. Dia wafat, Senin (12/12/2022). pic.twitter.com/oTP4O4etjN

— ilham khoiri (@ilhamkhoiri) December 12, 2022

Suatu ketika dengan Remy Sylado dan Denny Sakrie. Rest In Peace pic.twitter.com/LdkLWwDpOl

— Adib Hidayat (@AdibHidayat) December 12, 2022

Selamat beristirahat, Bung Remy Sylado. Saya berhutang banyak pada karya-karya Bung Remy yang menjungkalkan kata, norma, dan logika di dalam kepala. Anda pahlawan saya. RIP. pic.twitter.com/KNKaLvU2gm

— Pangeran (@pangeransiahaan) December 12, 2022

RIP Remy Sylado (1945-2022) wartawan, pengarang, dan aktor meninggal di Jakarta hari ini. Remy dikenal dgn majalah musik Aktuil 1970an. Dia juga mengajar di kelas @Yayasan_Pantau soal penulisan https://t.co/Dyxd0LeDBA pic.twitter.com/87NaSh7ot0

— Andreas Harsono (@andreasharsono) December 12, 2022

“Saya tidak mau menjadi tawanan Anton Moeliono dan JS Badudu tentang Bahasa Indonesia yang baik dan benar,” – Remy Sylado, 2016

Selamat jalan, Legend

— Okky Madasari (@okkymadasari) December 12, 2022

RIP, Remy.

Ngeliat foto ini jadi ingat pertanyaan dia sewaktu di Melbourne: “Kamu mau jasku yang putih?” Kayaknya dia males membawa pulang.

Aku tolak dengan ngakak. Nggak kebayang pake jas putih gemerlap beliau. Maklum bukan seleb panggung.https://t.co/5ASrqoqzIP

— Ariel Heryanto (@ariel_heryanto) December 12, 2022

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