KUALA LUMPUR: Popular 70s singer Jay Jay of the famed group Carefree, died at a private medical centre in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, at 9.20 pm yesterday. He was 67.
The sad news of Jay Jay’s death, whose real name is Mohd Fauzi Darus, was conveyed by fellow artiste Datuk Hattan when contacted by Bernama.
“Yes, Jay Jay has passed away… I was contacted by the late singer’s wife just now… The body will be taken to Masjid Al-Husna, Bandar Sunway, tomorrow morning for the funeral prayers,“ he said briefly.
Veteran singer/actress Datuk Fauziah Ahmad Daud also shared the news of the passing of the singer, famed for his evergreen hit, ‘Rindu Bayangan’, on Facebook yesterday.
“Innalilahi wainnailahi roji’un. I received the news of the passing of Jay Jay, returning to Ya Khalid (The Creator). His loss is irreplaceable.”
“May his soul be showered with Allah’s mercy, may his sins be forgiven, may his deeds be accepted and may he be placed among the righteous. My condolences to the family,” she said.
On May 23, Jay Jay successfully underwent heart bypass surgery at the National Heart Institute (IJN) after being admitted to the medical centre two days earlier due to a mild heart attack and shortness of breath.
In his hey day, Jay Jay won several awards, including Most Popular Male Singer at the Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian (ABPH) in 1988, Best Male Vocal at the Anugerah Industri Muzik in 1998 and Best Pop Rock Song at the Juara Lagu 1998 with ‘Joget Angan Tak Sudah’.
Jay Jay began his singing career with Carefree in 1979 and went solo in 1984.
When Carefree disbanded, the accomplished bassist was roped in by the late Datuk Sudirman Arshad and Anita Sarawak as part of their backing musicians in the 80s.
“While working for Anita, I had the opportunity to play and travel around every corner in Asia,” he was quoted as saying then.
