HIM Damsyik

Damsyik was born in Teluk Betung, Lampung, Dutch East Indies on 14 March 1929.^[1] His father was the director of employees of the Koninklijke Paketvaart-Maatschappij, a shipping company. In the 1950s, he moved to Jakarta to further his education; at the same time he learning and competing in Ballroom Dance.^[2] After winning a competition, he spent four years studying at the Rellum Dancing School in the Netherlands.^[3]

Upon returning to Indonesia, Damsyik began giving private dance lessons.^[2] In 1959 he was approached by Wim Umboh to do the choreography for Bertamasaya (Picnic); Damsyik ended up acting in the film as well.^[3]

Damsyik became popular in 1992 after playing the antagonist Datuk Meringgih in Dedi Setiadi's serial adaptation of Marah Roesli's novel Sitti Nurbaya (1922).^[3][4] Although he first considered not taking the role, after the series' cancellation he continued to identify with it.^[2]

On 12 July 2002 Damsyik was selected as the head of the Indonesian Dance Association, under the National Sports Committee of Indonesia.^[2]

Towards the end of 2011, Damsyik fell ill and in and out of the hospital. A first diagnosis, at Puri Cinere Hospital, was for Dengue. Two weeks afterwards, he was admitted to the Metropolitan Medical Centre (MMC); two weeks after his release, he was back at MMC,^[5] where he began undergoing treatment for myelodysplastic syndrome. Damsyik died at Cinere Hospital in South Jakarta at roughly 2:00 a.m. local time (UTC+7) on 3 February 2012.^[1] He was buried at Karet Bivak the same day.^[6]

Damsyik was married to Linda Damsyik, a dance instructor.^[7] Together the couple had five children^[3] and ran several dance studios in Jakarta.^[7] Before his death, Damsyik was 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) tall and weighed 55 kilograms (121 lb).^[2]