I

ndonesians, and the Batak people in particular, have bid goodbye to Eddy Silitonga, a legendary Indonesian singer.

Eddy passed away on Thursday at the age of 65. Eddy’s departure comes just a few weeks after the passing of Mike Mohede, another singer with a wonderful voice.

“He passed away at 12:05 a.m.,” one of Eddy’s sons, Mario, told kompas.com.

Two weeks ago, the Pematangsiantar-born singer was taken to a hospital in South Jakarta with breathing difficulties and a low blood-sugar level. He was later diagnosed with heart problems and diabetes.

His condition was improving last Friday, but then declined the day after and continued to decline up until Wednesday night.

“Last night, [his condition] suddenly became more serious,” said Mario, adding that his father passed away after going through a procedure to pump out toxins.

The singer was falsely reported to have passed away on Aug. 11. His family immediately denied these reports, saying that Eddy’s condition was still fine.

Eddy was known for his strong voice, a voice that could reach high notes with perfection.

Born the fourth son of 11 children from Gustaf Silitonga and Theresia Siahaan, Eddy showed his potential as a great singer after winning a singing competition in Medan, North Sumatra, in 1967. North Sumatra is known for its great singers, who can be found everywhere, including on the streets and at lapos (Batak pork joints).

Eddy made a breakthrough in his singing career with the hit song “Biarlah Sendiri” (Leave Me Alone) in 1976. The song was composed by another legendary Batak singer, the late Rinto Harahap.

Senior singer Bob Tutupoli said, as quoted by kapanlagi.com, that Eddy maintained his strong voice despite his deteriorating health and old age.

“Three months ago, he sang at a charity event. Physically, he had changed a lot, but his voice did not. It was still vibrant and strong,” Bob recalled.