Comedian Benyamin S. dies of a heart attack

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands crowded the Karet Bivak cemetery in Central Jakarta yesterday for the funeral of noted Indonesian comedian/actor/singer Benyamin Sueb, who died of a heart attack at the Harapan Kita Cardiac Hospital at 5:20 a.m. yesterday.

Born on March 5, 1939, Benyamin, better known as Benjamin S., is survived by eight children, a wife and an ex-wife. Owner of Ben's Radio, a Betawi radio station, Benyamin's latest ventures included two TV shows, the Benyamin Show and the series Si Doel Anak Sekolahan.

Among those at his funeral were Minister of Information Harmoko, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar Anaz and Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief as well as a number of prominent business figures, famous movie stars and musicians.

The news of Benyamin's death shocked not only his children and colleagues but also the whole nation.

"Benyamin S. was an outstanding figure in the Indonesian arts community. He belonged to all people. We lost one of our greatest artists," said Minister Harmoko before the funeral.

For many, attending Benyamin's funeral also meant a golden opportunity to catch a glimpse of their favorite celebrities. During the funeral, a large number of teenage boys and girls and even young mothers chased their idols. They screamed when some famous stars, particularly those from Si Doel, including Rano Karno, Maudy Kusnadi and Mandra, entered the cemetery gate. They seemed to ignore the fact that those people, many close to Benyamin, were mourning.

"I saw Benyamin in his latest film Begaya F.M last night. To me he was more than an actor. I feel that I knew him personally," commented a young mother who brought her four-month old baby to the funeral.

Benyamin S. started his career in music in l957 when he established a pop band called Melodi Ria with Rachmat Kartolo and famous jazz musicians Bill Saragih and the late Jack Lesmana.

Born to a middle-class Betawi couple, H. Sueb and Siti Aisyah, of Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, young Benyamin became familiar with traditional Betawi music and Portuguese-style keroncong music.

In the late l960s, he began exploring Betawi music and performed duets with female pop singers. His recordings with Ida Royani were particularly popular. Many of his songs, most containing anecdotes, clearly portray the way of life of the Betawi people, while borrowing from Betawi folklore. His humorous and satirical songs finally began to draw a large audience from the lower-middle class to the upper classes of society.

His song Ondel-Ondel even inspired the Jakarta administration to declare the puppet as the city's mascot. After he gained popularity as a prominent Betawi singer, Benyamin took a look at the possibilities in film.

It was the late director Sukarno M. Noer who asked him to act in his film Honey Money in Jakarta Fair (1970). But it was the late director Sjumandjaja who discovered his natural acting talent. The director cast him in the role of a tacky Betawi man struggling to keep up with the modernization process in a film called Si Doel Anak Modern. In this film, Benyamin, who played opposite famous artist Christine Hakim, won a Citra, the highest Indonesian film award. Benyamin also won another Citra for his role in Intan Berduri.

"I was terribly shocked to hear about his death. I always treated him like my own father. I did not realize that it was his last message," Rano Karno, who is said to be one of the persons closest to the deceased, told The Jakarta Post at Benyamin's house in an elite Cinere housing complex, Sawangan, Bogor.

Benyamin S. and Rano were involved in a famous TV drama, Si Doel, which attracted large audiences in Indonesia as well as Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Saudi Arabia.

Several months before his death, Benyamin was still involved in various film projects, music shows and other art activities.

Benyamin later fell unconscious during a soccer game in his Cinere neighborhood and was taken to the Harapan Kita Cardiac Hospital. On Sunday, he recovered from a five-day coma. A number of prominent figures, including President Soeharto and Jakarta Governor Surjadi Soedirdja sent him flowers.

Even in his hospital bed, Benyamin still showed concern for the fate of Indonesian film, particularly the popular Si Doel series.

"No (Rano), lu musti terusin syuting meskipun enggak ada gue, (Rano you must continue producing the TV drama Si Doel Anak Sekolahan although I am not with you anymore)," were, in his strong Betawi accent, Benyamin's last words of advice when Rano visited him in the hospital on Sunday.

In his recent interview with The Jakarta Post, Benyamin said that it was time for him to retire after 30 years in the entertainment world. Yesterday, he entered the real world of retirement. Good Bye Bang Ben. (raw/arh)