#SHOWBIZ: Uji Rashid struggles to accept son Cico Harahap's passing

KUALA LUMPUR: Veteran singer Uji Rashid, 73, is grieving the loss of her beloved son, actor Cico Harahap, 48, who passed away following a battle with illness.

Although she is struggling to come to terms with the loss, Uji—whose real name is Fuziah Haroun Al Rashid—is trying to accept God's will and hopes the public will continue to pray for her late son.

"I still find it hard to accept his passing. But relatives and friends have reminded me to accept God's will," she told BH Online when met after Cico's burial at the Ukay Perdana Muslim Cemetery in Hulu Klang yesterday evening.

"He was on loan from Allah. I try to remind myself of that and pray that Allah forgives all his sins, protects him, and places him among the righteous."

Uji also urged the public to pray for Cico and to stop bringing up or speculating about unverified rumours from his past.

"I hope everyone can pray for the best for him and stop making assumptions as they did before. I do not want such things to happen again. We will all leave this world one day. When my time comes, I too hope people will pray for me," she added.

Recalling his final days, Uji noted that Cico had shown signs of improvement recently.

But his condition worsened a week ago when he suffered severe dizziness and asked to be taken to hospital.

"He was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for three days due to multiple infections before being transferred to a regular ward," she explained.

Meanwhile, Cico's 18-year-old daughter, Rindu Nur Fitrah, shared her final moments with her father, having managed to hold his hand the day before he died.

"Yesterday, before I went to work, Papa held my hand. At that moment, I could sense he did not have long left, though I tried not to dwell on it," she said.

Rindu added that her father could not leave any final words as he was in too much pain to speak properly.

"I hope everyone will pray for Papa—that he is at peace, forgiven of his sins, and placed among the righteous."

Cico, whose real name was Ezzaq Farrouq Harahap Jamaludin, was laid to rest at the Ukay Perdana Muslim Cemetery at 6.15pm yesterday.

Before the burial, his body was taken to the Taman Bukit Mulia surau to be bathed, shrouded, and prayed over.

Despite heavy rain and muddy ground making it difficult for family, relatives, and friends to get around, the funeral went smoothly.

Around 200 people attended to pay their last respects, including fellow celebrities Datuk Yusof Haslam, Aziz M. Osman, AR Badul, Mak Jah, Ellie Suriaty, and Sabree Fadzil.