Visual artist and filmmaker Mark Lee See Teck was busy preparing a pitch for an upcoming movie which would involve, among others, renowned singer and actress Adibah Noor Mohd Omar, fondly known as Adibah Noor to her fans.

Having worked with her before in movies such as Eraser and The Code of Happiness, he was ready to work with the much-loved artiste again.

However, Lee’s world came crashing down when he learned of the news of Adibah’s passing at the age of 51 yesterday.

“I just collapsed and started crying. My heart was crushed,” a distraught Lee told Malaysiakini.

Adibah lost her battle with ovarian cancer and breathed her last at 7.45pm yesterday at a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur.

Wonderful working experience

Still devastated by the news, Lee shared how he had a wonderful experience working with Adibah in Eraser, which began filming in February this year, where Adibah played one of the main supporting characters.

“Shooting Eraser with her was an awesome experience. She was professional and hardworking even when she was facing challenges in her personal life. She knew how to add flavour to her character.

“She was humble and very easy to work with on set. She turned up for every rehearsal and script reading. She respected her role. In Eraser, she played an optimistic, bubbly mother, housewife and wife to Nam Ron (Shahili Abdan).”

When Lee first worked with Adibah, it was four years ago for The Code of Happiness (a Chinese language film) in which Adibah had a small role.

“Although it was my first time meeting her, I felt like I had known her for years. She was always laughing, cracking jokes and making everyone comfortable on set. She loved to treat us to McDonald's and would announce it like a presenter in the mall through our walkie-talkies,” recalled Lee, chuckling.

The release of The Code of Happiness in cinemas, however, had been stalled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Legendary figure

“It was Nam Ron who told me about her passing via phone call yesterday evening,” continued Lee, his voice low.

“The last time I saw her was at dinner right after we wrapped the filming of Eraser. The session ended with a warm bear hug. There was this personal joke between us where we would hug so tight that we burst out saying 'walaikumussalam' at the same time. She would laugh before saying goodbye. I never knew that would be our final farewell.”

However, Lee never felt that she really left. As Eraser is in the final phase of offline editing, Lee has been ‘seeing’ Adibah every day for the past month.

“I have been looking at her scenes almost every day for the past month when doing the editing. It felt like she was there right before me.

“She was a legendary figure who had made a vast contribution to the entertainment industry. Many people have grown up watching her films and her performances,” said Lee.

Adibah, who was also a voiceover and ad talent, had starred in films such as Sepet, Gubra and Nasi Lemak 2.0.

"She left behind her echoes of laughter, joy and care that she brought to others. I will miss her so dearly and I think I need more time to ease the heaviness in my heart.

“She will always be missed and remembered,” Lee concluded.

Actress Adibah Noor dies at 51 years

Actress Adibah Noor dies at 51 years

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Namewee fears 'Nasi Lemak 2.0' ban after protest