KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — He once dominated TV with his songs but then turned to the streets after a recording deal went wrong.
Having spent years sleeping on five-foot ways, former singer Ben Nathan is back in the spotlight once again appearing on TV1’s Selamat Pagi Malaysia at 8am today.
“I’m very excited about this,” exclaimed Ben, 54.
“I spent some time practising several songs with the guitar and I’m ready to face the world again.”
Best known for his hits Ilusi Satu Penantian and Stanza Sekeping Hati in the 80s, Ben was taken off the streets after Malay Mail managed to track him down last month.
He then hit the headlines of major dailies as Tan Sri Syed Yusof Nasir of Jojo Events pledged to organise a concert for Ben.
He had, since Feb 3, been kept under strict observation at Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
Ben, who had long hair and a thick beard when found, got his locks cut off and shaved on Wednesday ahead of the television show.
With the help of his brother, Bob, Ben had been practising singing some of his famous songs and a Blues number which he is set to perform in an unplugged session on the talk show.
Yayasan Artis 1Malaysia (YA1M) president Datuk Irwan Shah Abdullah, better known as DJ Dave, was eager to see his good friend back in the limelight.
“We had his hair cut just the way he wanted,” said Dave.
“He was very excited about the prospect of singing on television again after so long.”
“He wanted me to perform with him but I told him this is his time and it should be his show,” he added.
Ben’s magical journey from the streets to television started when a video of him receiving an ang pow was shared on social media platforms and on Whatsapp.
Malay Mail went on to track him down and found him roaming in Brickfields on Feb 1.
The Paper That Cares contacted his family and they were reunited with Ben after being months apart. Ben, however, refused to return home with them and our journalist Murali Arumugam and photographer Hari Anggara spent the night keeping him company.
The following day, Ben was persuaded by his family members and Dave to seek treatment.
Members of the industry pledged to assist Ben get back on his feet and Syed Yusof is organising a charity gig, Konsert Kasih & Harapan Ben Nathan, to be held at Saloma Bistro on May 21.
