Indonesian director and actor Richard Oh dies at 62

Indonesian director, actor and writer Richard Oh has died aged 62.

Fellow filmmakers Joko Anwar and Gina S Noer confirmed the news of Oh’s death, CNN Indonesia reported. He died on Thursday (April 7) night at the Eka Hospital BSD in South Tangerang. He was buried today (April 8) in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.

Details regarding the cause of his death are yet to be disclosed.

Oh – real name Abdurrahman bin Yong Masio – began his career as an author. He published three books – The Pathfinders of Love, Heart of the Night and The Rainmaker’s Daughter – and co-founded the literary award Kusala Sastra Khatulistiwa to recognise Indonesian writers.

Oh later on ventured into acting, where he starred in films like Yowis Ben and 27 Steps of May. In 2006, he took on the director and screenwriter path with his debut film Koper. Projects he took on after that include Terpana, Love Is A Bird and Menunggu Bunda.

Several prominent colleagues of Oh’s have shared their condolences on social media, expressing their grief at the director’s sudden passing.

In a heartfelt post, Anwar memorialised Oh’s honesty, intelligence and sense of humour. Referring to Oh as “Kokoh”, or big brother, Anwar wrote: “Spending time with Kokoh Richard was like being in a great movie theater where you just want to watch and listen. He could be infuriating but he would be the first person you want to be with the next day when you found out what he told you was right. He touched many hearts. It would only take seconds for strangers to be wanting to be his friends.”

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A post shared by Joko Anwar (@jokoanwar)

Noer, on the other hand, thanked the late director for his great contribution to Indonesia’s film and literature scene. Read her tribute and those of other literary and film figures below.

Rest in peace koh Richard Oh. Terima kasih untuk sumbangsih ke dunia sastra dan film Indonesia.

— gina s. noer (@ginaSnoer) April 7, 2022

RIP Indonesian bibliophile, author, film director and a former bookstore owner Richard Oh (1959-2022) died in Jakarta last night. His wife Pratiwi Juliani will bury him in Banjarmasin today https://t.co/VmqUf7wjpF pic.twitter.com/h028MxnZZb

— Andreas Harsono (@andreasharsono) April 8, 2022

Rest in peace, Richard Oh.

Thank you for all those times I spent at your bookstores back in the day. pic.twitter.com/anNzRoVPHk

— Halief Ardiasyah (@halief) April 7, 2022

Rest in love, bang Richard Oh will always remember your passion, movies, laugh, candor and warmth.

— Mouly Surya (@moulysurya) April 7, 2022

Rest in peace, Richard Oh. Our memories will never be forgotten. Those will always remain with me.

I know you are in a better place and one day we shall meet again. Good bye, my dear friend

— Clara Ng (@clara_ng) April 7, 2022

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