Goodbye Loga Alleycats

I am so sorry to hear that after a long-year battle with lung cancer, Loga Alleycats, or his full name, Loganathan Arumugam died on Monday. He was young, 54 years old.

Loga and co was my favourite singer when I was about 3 or 4 years old. Obviously, I don't remember vividly how deep was my attachment with Alleycats, but apparently I liked their songs, I grew up with their wonderful tunes and Loga's and his brother's trademark of Afro hairdo. My mother keep telling me that when I was small, I'd immediately grab a seat in front of tv set to entertain myself once I hear Alleycats' song. Even years later when I first met my buddy, Dann, who has similar hairstyle, Loga's face first came into my mind.

I did run across him once at KLIA June last year. At that time his hair was huge as usual, but he was very thin and skinny. A few people was following him, asking for an autograph.

Whatever it is, for us who are reading this, its still not the time yet for us, but for Loga, he has experienced the greatest affliction, the stage at which the soul becomes disconnected from the body. He has transcended from this world (here-now) to the Hereafter. Death has agonies, the extent and severity of which are known only by those who have experience it like Loga and others. Given that death is enough as an admonition, are we prepared for our turn which will pop up anywhere and anytime soon?

In the middle of the morning on 4th June 2007, Loga died to the tune of a collection of early Alleycats songs being played on a portable disc player placed at his bedside. It was unfortunate that it was not the Quran, the words of God, that accompany his depart from this world. I don't know whether he died along with full submission to the One and Only God or not, but I surely hope he did.

Finally, I'd like to express my condolence to his widow, son and daughter, and goodbye Loga, may I wish you a fond farewell.

"And the stupor* of death will come in truth; this is what you have been avoiding!"

al-Qur'an: Qaaf, 34

*a state in which a person is almost unconscious and their thoughts are very unclear