Malaysia singer dies from Covid days after giving birth without ever holding baby

The singer was hospitalised on 4 August after her oxygen levels plummeted

Malaysian singer, Siti Sarah Raisuddin, who had been battling Covid-19 while pregnant with her fourth child, succumbed to the disease. Doctors, however, managed to rescue the baby (The Star/Screengrab)

A popular Malaysian singer battling Covid-19 during her pregnancy, succumbed to the disease on Monday, but doctors managed to save the baby, local media reported.

Siti Sarah Raisuddin, 37, was eight months pregnant with her fourth child. She was put under an induced coma so that her baby could be delivered via surgery. Raisuddin never got to hold the baby who has been named Ayash Affan, reports said.

She died at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre at 5.13am local time.

Raisuddin, her husband Shuib Sepahtu, and their three other children — aged 10, eight and six — tested positive for Covid-19 in July after their domestic worker contracted the infection.

The singer was hospitalised on 4 August after her oxygen levels plummeted. She was put in an intensive care unit, reports said.

Raisuddin’s husband, popular comedian Shuib Sepahtu, shared the news of her death on Instagram. He wrote: “My heavenly angel has gone forever. I ask you to please give your Al-Fatihah.”

The New Strait Times reported that Mr Sepahtu made the last video call to his wife on Sunday. He said she had tears streaming down her cheeks.

He was quoted as saying: “With the help of the nurses and doctor, I was able to make the video call and that was the last time my kids and I would lay our eyes on her while she was still alive.” He added: “At the time, I saw tears streaming down her cheeks as if she understood what we were saying to her.”

The heartbroken husband told the media that it would be “really challenging” for him to break the news to “my three kids on the death of their mother.”

There was an outpouring of grief and sorrow on social media following the news of her death. Several Malaysian celebrities paid tribute to her memory. The Malaysian king and queen also expressed their condolences to her family. The palace wrote in a Facebook post: “Their Majesties also expressed their sadness over her passing and hoped that her family will be patient and resilient as they cope with the loss.”

Raisuddin shot to fame in 2007 after the release of her duet with veteran singer Jamal Abdillah.

She married Mr Sepahtu in 2011 after a brief courtship, local media said.

Meanwhile, Raisuddin’s management company, Indigital Music, also issued a statement confirming her death “with sadness and a heavy heart.”

Mr Sepahtu also said, “when we talked about things relating to death before, she had asked to be buried next to her late mother’s grave.”

Malaysia recorded 17,236 fresh Covid-19 infections on Monday. Around 27 per cent of the eligible population has been fully vaccinated so far in the country, according to the latest data.