He died at 5.44pm after he became gravely ill yesterday and had to be placed on a ventilator.
“With sadness, I announce that Tan Sri SM Salim has passed away at 5.44pm,” a family representative of the late singer told Bernama through a WhatsApp message.
Yesterday, there had been a stream of close relatives and friends arriving at the singer’s family home to read the Yasin after he was reported to be in critical condition.
S M Salim, or his real name Sheikh Salim Sheikh Muhammad Al Mahros, began his career as a singer of classic Malay songs in the 1950s.
He had been promoting this genre through the years with his stage and television appearances.
He became paralysed due to a nerve disorder and had been moving around on a wheelchair for the last 17 years.
He would be laid to rest at the Muslim Cemetery in Jalan Ampang here after Friday prayers tomorrow, according to his grandniece Elyna Ali.
The funeral prayers will be held at the Kampung Baru Jamek Mosque here at 10.30am.
Deputy Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi hailed the late singer as a person who had made a major contribution to the country through the arts and broadcasting all his life.
“I knew him from the time that he was an announcer at RTM (Radio Televisyen Malaysia). I was then a student at Universiti Malaya and worked part-time at RTM,” he said after paying his last respects.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Dr Salleh Said Keruak noted Salim’s willingess to go to Congo to entertain Malaysian soldiers serving with the United Nations peacekeeping force in the 1960s, following the civil war in that African country, would never be forgotten.
“I am also proud that the late SM Salim had started his career as a
part-time announcer with Radio Malaya in the 1950s until be became a permanent broadcasting staff with RTM and had been the FM Radio Malaysia head before becoming one of the country’s prominent singers,” he said.
Meanwhile, the family has requested radio and TV stations not to play Salim’s songs for a certain period.
SM Salim’s son, Shamsul Salim, said his father had requested that after his death his songs should not be played for at least 30 days or up to 44 days.
“We hope the media does not play his songs for at least seven to 10 days. Nevertheless, it is left to the media to determine what is best for the late SM Salim and the public in general.”