The 12-year-old Geylang Methodist Secondary School student who died after a goal post fell on him on Monday (Apr 24) was the younger brother of local singer Sarah Aqilah.
Sarah, who was crowned the winner of Mediacorp’s Suria reality singing competition Anugerah in 2009, told Channel NewsAsia that death of her brother, Muhammad Hambali Sumathi is a great loss to her and her family.
“He was a good kid, quiet but smiley and he was very respectful towards his elders. He was helpful too, as a friend and a younger brother,” Sarah told Channel NewsAsia on Monday night.
Sarah added that Hambali loved sports and that he played for his school football team.
The mother of two also spoke of how Hambali enjoyed the company of her children.
“He was also good with kids, especially my children – his nephew and niece. My kids loved playing with him. He never complained about anything,” she added.
On Instagram, Sarah posted a photo of Hambali on a recent family outing at Universal Studios Singapore. She wrote: “We were supposed to go again in June … but now, it is only memories (we have) left of you.”
In a separate Facebook post to family members and friends wanting to pay their last respects, Sarah wrote that Hambali’s body would be brought back from hospital on Tuesday.
Hambali is the second sibling Sarah has lost. Her younger sister, Ms Shaffadina Jamil, died in 2009 at the age of 20, after contracting a virus following a trip to Kusu Island.
According to local media reports, Sarah has let her singing career take a back seat to focus on caring for her family.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
