Singapore music icon Zul Sutan dies at age 61

Local music icon Zul Sutan of rock band Tania has died.

The band posted news of the 61-year-old's death on Twitter yesterday.

They tweeted: "The lion sleeps tonight. Rest in peace, Zul Sutan. We'll miss you, big brother."

The veteran guitarist and singer was known to captivate audiences with his soulful and raw performances, belting tunes that drew fans from across the world.

His last known performance about a month ago was at La Salsa, a Mexican charcoal grill bar at Dempsey Road.

A LEGEND

Madam Usha Chatterji, 55, the owner of the bar, said Zul's death is a shock to the community.

"Singapore has lost one of its legends," she said.

"People from as far as the United Kingdom and Germany came just to watch him perform every week."

She said Zul had been playing at the bar for about six months, but he recently took a break as he was not feeling well, having developed health complications relating to his kidneys.

"There were plans for him to return in January, but his condition took a turn for the worse," she said.

"We are very sad to have lost our friend of many years."

Zul started his music career in 1977 as the leader of Tania, shooting to fame shortly after their inception.

They were immensely popular in the 80s, drawing crowds to every nightspot they played at.

Zul has played at numerous locations in the past 40 years, including Pebbles Bar, Peppermint Park, Anywhere Music Pub and Harry's at Orchard Towers.

In 1992, Zul released a solo album, featuring self-written tunes and covers of songs by Sting, Paul Simon and Tina Turner.

More recently, he played a sold-out show at the Esplanade Recital Studio in 2013.

About six years ago, he also performed at Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran's 50th birthday celebration.

Mr Iswaran considers himself one of Zul's fans, calling him and Tania "institutions in the local entertainment industry".

"I have fond memories of attending their performances," he told The New Paper yesterday.

"Zul's passing is a sad loss - for his family, Singapore's music industry and all his fans. My thoughts and prayers are with his family."

The family members posted on Facebook yesterday that all are welcome to pay their final respects to Zul at their home at Block 203 Bukit Batok Street 21, #02-34 today.