JP/24/EDDY

JP/24/EDDY
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Eddy Sud, promoter of local talents passed away at 68

The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Although he had been absent from show business for many years,
for people who grew up watching then state-controlled TVRI,
seasoned entertainer Eddy Sud will always be remembered.

Eddy passed away on Aug. 16 due to liver, heart and kidney
problems. He had been sick for quite some time but only treated
at the home of one of his daughters in Surakarta until his
condition deteriorated on Sunday.

He was taken to Mawardi Hospital but pronounced dead on
Tuesday.

Beside being known as the father of TVRI's variety show for
local entertainers Aneka Ria Safari, Eddy was also a prominent
comedian.

Born as Eddy Sudihardjo on Aug. 20, 1937 in Sayangan village
in Klaten, Central Java, Eddy kicked off his career as an
entertainer after graduating from the Yogyakarta-based Gadjah
Mada University's school of economics. He co-founded a comedy
group called "Ebi" along with Bagio and Iskak.

Together with Bing Slamet, Ateng and Iskak, in the 1960s he
founded the legendary "Kwartet Jaya."

Perhaps due to a lack of competition, this group maintained
its stardom until the 1970s when a new crop of comedians like the
Warkop Prambors emerged. Even so, to some junior comedians
Kwartet Jaya was considered to be setting a new standard of
professionalism for the country's comedy scene, which was then
dominated by traditional groups like Srimulat and Betawi native
Benjamin S. and friends.

"Kwartet Jaya lent something different to our comedy scene.
With its creative jokes that transcended ethnicities and social
classes, it inspired the young comedians of the day," said top
comedian Dedi "Mi'ing" Gumelar as quoted by Antara.

"Our world of comedians is in mourning because Eddy Sud left
us all for good," Mi'ing said in his speech at the funeral.

Mi'ing is one of the executives of the newly established
Indonesian Comedian Association of which Eddy was a founder.

A man with a God-given talent for making people laugh, Eddy
also proved to be a skillful leader among comedians and singers
under Artis Safari (or the Safari entertainer's group). Aside
from regular performances on TVRI this group worked like a
cooperative for its members.

Through this group also, Eddy stepped into the political arena
as he was embraced by the Golkar Party, which used the Safari
entertainers to attract voters.

Under the Soeharto administration, some artists -- mostly
affiliated with Golkar -- served as members of the House of
Representatives, including Eddy, singer Titiek Puspa and king of
dangdut Rhoma Irama.

Entertainer Eko Patrio said Eddy's dream had been to revive
Artis Safari but there had been long delays (because of his tight
schedule). "We never had a chance to work on it," Eko said.

"Personally it's a big loss for me and other entertainer
friends who knew Eddy," he added.

"He was a fatherly leader and very supportive of new emerging
entertainers,"Detik.com quoted top dangdut singer Vety Vera as
saying.

The music industry also owes a lot to Eddy's breakthroughs in
recruiting musicians and a new crop of singers.

A member of group Fafarid, Is Haryanto spoke of Eddy's eye for
picking talent and launching careers.

In the 1970s through until the 1980s Eddy worked tirelessly to
find new stars for TVRI's in-house programs, which was no easy
job.

"Such skill in organizing fellow entertainers has not been
displayed by this generation, It must be a challenge for them,"
Is Haryanto continued.

Time passed and the television industry thrived, new private
stations offered innovative programs from home and abroad, and
Aneka Ria Safari was deserted by its audience.

Eddy's marriage to the late Lili Rusina, the mother of four of
his children, ended.

He then married emerging dangdut singer Itje Tresnawati with
whom he had two children.

However, the success of his career was not reflected in his
marriage. In 2003, Itje filed for divorce but shortly retracted
the suit. The couple reunited. A year later, Itje again filed for
divorce. She remarried, leaving Eddy brokenhearted.

"Although they were divorced, we also sent the news to Ibu
Itje but she said she couldn't come because her brother-in-law in
Tasikmalaya also passed away," one of Eddy children, Irawan
Achmad said.

Irawan said his father had not declared his wishes regarding
his property in his last days, but his children remembered his
dream of building a mosque in his hometown.

"We will sell bapak's land in Jakarta to finance the
building," he said.