BATU PAHAT, Nov 14 — ‘’The whole family accepts his passing after almost six months of fighting esophagus cancer,’’ said Siti Hawa Sawal, 52, the wife of the famous actor and comedian, the late Zaibo, who passed away today.

Siti Hawa said she and her family hoped acquaintances and friends who knew Zaibo could pray for her husband, consent to his food and drink and forgive his every mistake or joke all these while.

According to Siti Hawa, at the same time, she also thanked those who supported and boosted Zaibo’s spirit when he was struggling with esophagus cancer since several months ago.

"He was indeed a strong person, since he was confirmed to have esophagus cancer, he did say that he wanted to be active again and he pined for his artiste friends

"But what can we do ... Allah loved him more and we know there is wisdom behind what had happened,’’ she said when met by reporters at his residence in Rengit, here, today.

Siti Hawa said Zaibo began to weaken today at about 1 pm, and then he wanted to meet his ‘property’, namely, his children, even though they were only his step-children, before he died 1.30 pm.

Meanwhile, one of his children, Nur Azira Hamdan, 17, said Zaibo was a cheerful person who loved his family.

"Indeed, we will feel ayah’s passing because we were together for almost eight years and he considered us all as his biological children.

"We pray the best for ayah and hope he will be placed in the place of good people,” she said.

Meanwhile, Zaibo’s demise had also received the attention of a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in the state known as the 4All Muafakat Squad.

The founder, Wahyu Hidayat Jaapar, said that besides being a fan of the comedian, the organisation also visited (Zaibo) as one of its charitable activities.

Zaibo or his real name Zainal Ariffin Abd Hamid, 62, was remembered for his part in the sitcom ‘Spanar Jaya’ and the movie, Anna And The King. His remains were expected to be buried after the Isyak prayer at the Rengit Islamic Cemetery, tonight.

Meanwhile, the death of Zaibo was felt his friends in the entertainment industry.

Famous lyrics writer, Habsah Hassan described the late Zaibo as a very special friend in her heart because of his cheerful attitude and ability to win the hearts of friends through his cooking.

‘’I knew Zaibo for more than 30 years, he did not hold back secrets with me, even though we didn’t meet often but we always communicated.

‘’The last time we communicated was about 10 days ago. He told me he was undergoing alternative treatment,’’ she said when met at the residence of the late Zaibo in Rengit, here, today.

Habsah said she was indeed on the way to visit the late Zaibo from Kuala Lumpur this afternoon with actress Rubiah Suparman, before receiving news of Zaibo’s passing shortly before approaching Ayer Keroh, Melaka.

She said, though shocked, she was grateful that Zaibo passed away in a calm and prepared state.

Singapore actor Rudy Marican described the late Zaibo as a good brother who taught him much about acting over the past 20 years.

Rudy, who is also a lawyer in the republic, said he had planned to visit Zaibo tomorrow but accepted his passing today.

 "Many do not know how strong Zaibo’s influence is in Singapore either among the Malay or non-Malay fans,” he said, regarding Zaibo’s passing as a great loss to the industry.

For actor Samsuri Shahrom, 72, Zaibo’s death was a loss of a friend. They had acted together in a drama about four years ago with actor Imuda.

Samsuri, who lived in Pagoh near Muar, said he was also planning to visit Zaibo together with the Malaysian Veteran Artist Foundation chairman actress Kismah Johar, tomorrow.

"I will still go tomorrow (to Zaibo’s house) with Kismah. I have lost a friend with his demise. We don’t know when our turn will be,” he said. — Bernama