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Ex-GIGI guitarist Aria Baron passes away after battling COVID-19
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Musician Aria Baron has died as a result of COVID-19. (Instagram/Courtesy of instagram.com/ariabaron)
M
usician Aria Baron, best known as the former guitarist of rock band GIGI, passed away on Tuesday, weeks after being treated for COVID-19.
The news was broken by senior music journalist Adib Hidayat on social media, who posted that he had received the information from GIGI bassist Thomas Ramdhan. Not long after, the band posted a statement on its Instagram page.
“Has passed away to Rahmatullah. H. Aria Baron Arafat bin Ariono Suprayogi. Tuesday, June 29, 2021 [at] 10:15 a.m. at the [Gatot Soebroto] Army Hospital. May Allah accept him by His side. Amen,” the statement said.
News about Baron and Thomas contracting the COVID-19 virus surfaced two weeks ago. The band announced on its Instagram page on June 14 that both of them were currently sick and reminded everyone to keep following health protocols.
The next day, the band posted an announcement looking for donors who could help pay for Baron’s treatment, as requested by his wife.
“Treatment for Baron @Baronbaron: Convalescent plasma. We currently need donors with the following conditions: Covid survivors, B positive blood type,” the announcement said.
The blood donors poured in, and on June 17, the band members posted a video expressing their gratitude as the doctors confirmed there were enough donors. The members were optimistic and said that the progress was going well. GIGI frontman Armand Maulana also said that Baron was in a stable condition.
A week later, Thomas announced that he had tested negative for COVID-19.
“He was a kind figure, always putting others before himself and defending his friends in times of need. Abah Baron has given too much kindness to us and to this country’s music industry,” he said on Instagram.
Born in Bandung, January 16, 1970, Baron was a renowned guitarist and one of the founders of GIGI, formed in 1994, along with Armand Maulana (vocal), Dewa Budjana (guitar), Ronald Fristianto (drum) and Thomas (bass). He also helped form the rock band /rif.
He was GIGI’s guitarist for two years and contributed to the band’s first two albums, Angan (1994) and Dunia (1995). He then decided to leave the band to pursue his education in Communication Arts in the New York Institute of Technology, in the United States.
After graduating, he returned to Indonesia and formed the band NO!, which turned into Baron Band. He has also released an album with the new group called Baron Soulmates. GIGI and Baron always kept in contact, at times even performing together in reunions. Eventually, in 2017, Baron became the band’s manager.
