Sitcom star Sukma Ayu dead at 25

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Actress Sukma Ayu, who played tomboy Rohaye in the hit TV sitcom Kecil Kecil Jadi Manten, died on Saturday afternoon of heart failure at her home in Bukit Sentul, West Java. She was 25.

The daughter of veteran actress Nani Wijaya and director Misbach Yusa Biran had been in a coma since last April, when she suffered a fall at a Central Jakarta nightclub and underwent surgery for a cut to her arm. However, she developed a hematoma on the brain and slipped into a coma.

At her parent's request, Sukma had been transferred from the ICU at Medistra Hospital in South Jakarta to her home on Friday night. A private TV station provided an exclusive broadcast of Sukma's final hours on Saturday, although some complained the coverage was morbid and intrusive.

She was surrounded by her parents and family when she died at about 1:45 p.m. Burial is scheduled in Ciomas, Bogor, at 9 a.m. on Sunday.

"The cause of Sukma's death was not due to being moved from Medistra Hospital," the family's doctor, Suparman, was quoted as saying by detikcom. "When she came home on Friday, Sukma's condition was quite stable, and she was fed intravenously and urinated."

He added that her extended period in a coma and the brain damage she suffered had led to impaired functioning of her lungs and heart.

In the past five months, various fund-raising efforts, including auctioning photographs of the actress and recordings of her songs, were made to help Sukma's family with her medical expenses.

Sukma, who had also starred in the TV sitcom Jin and Jun, gained media attention for shaving her head to play soccer- playing, carefree Rohaye who gets married as a teenager.

She was also at the center of a scandal last year when a series of obscene photos, purportedly showing her with her ex- boyfriend musician Bjah, were circulated. She denied the photos were of her.

Bjah, along with comedian Eko Patrio, was among the mourners at her family's house on Saturday evening, detikcom reported.