Malaysian singer Siti Sarah Raisuddin has died of Covid-19 days after giving birth. She was 36.
Her husband, Malaysian actor and comedian Shuib Sepahtu, born Shahmira Muhammad, confirmed the news that the singer, who was known by her stage name Siti Sarah, died after giving birth to their fourth child, a baby boy.
"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," Sepahtu told the New Straits Times.
"At the time, I saw tears streaming down her cheeks, as if she understood what we were saying to her.
"I was at the hospital later after the kids had gone to sleep and completed a Yassin recital, as well as prayers for her last night. However, I was not permitted to see her."
She leaves behind her husband, the newborn baby boy, and three children Uwais Alqarni, 10, Dzahira Talita Zahra, 8, and Ariq Matin, 6.
"She fought hard to save our baby," Sepahtu said. "The name Ayash Affan was her choice, through her reading she said that it related to a fighter in the Gaza region."
According to local reports, the entire family tested positive for Covid-19 on July 25.
Siti Sarah, who was eight months pregnant at the time, shared an Instagram video of her family receiving PCR tests and crying after receiving the results.
In the days after, Siti Sarah shared videos on her Instagram account of her children crying after getting Covid-19 tests, which she described as hard to watch. On August 4, she shared a video of herself hugging her children, while wearing an oxygen mask in a wheelchair.
The Malaysian King and Queen, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, sent their condolences to her family.
In a Facebook post, they wrote: "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."
