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Renowned Indonesian reggae singer Mbah Surip died at Pusdikkes Hospital in East Jakarta on Tuesday. He was 60 years old.

Surip rose to fame with the hit song “Tak Gendong” (“I Will Carry You On My Back”). The song also added at least Rp 4 billion ($400,000) to his bank account.

Mbah Surip died at 10.30 a.m on the way to Pusdikkes Hospital in East Jakarta, according to Tarzan, a close friend of Surip. He was taken to the hospital from a house belonging to Mamiek Prakoso, a comedian from Srimulat.

Metro TV reported that witnesses saw Surip’s mouth was foaming when he reached the hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. He was known to be addicted to coffee and was a chain smoker. The media is still awaiting confirmation from the deceased’s family.

Surip was a street artist almost all of his life.

Mbah Surip was recognizable by his braided hair and hearty laugh. His signature greeting was “I love you full,” which he would say over and over to everyone he met.

“I love singing and I don’t mind doing it non-stop, once I sang for 60 hours with only a little sleep, but I’m happy,” Surip once said in an interview with SCTV.

Surip will be buried at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Bengkel Teater Cemetery in Citayam, Depok, West Java.

JG

Link: View Mbah Surip's hit song "Tak Gendong" on YouTube