Television Personality, E Samson Passes Away at 77

The icon of many in the 1970s has left many devastated.

Samson Irudayam, fondly known as E Samson, passed away at the age of 77 on April 17 due to lung cancer at Selayang Hospital. As a newsreader on radio and television, his baritone voice was warm and smooth, and he left a lasting impact on Malaysians from the 1970s to the 1980s.

Pathinathan, his brother stated that Samson has brought along a sense of comfort, and love in whatever he did, or wherever he went. “He was widely loved as a family man, radio and television personality, church leader, voice actor, drama star, singer, dancer and writer,” the brother continues.

Hailing from Kuala Selangor, Samson joined Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) in 1968 as a newsreader, joining other popular newscasters like Bosco D’Cruz, Leslie Dawson, John Machado, Yahya Long Chik, George Abraham, Ronnie Atkinson, Alan Zachariah, Constance Haslam and Faridah Merican.

Later, he and D’Cruz along with Paul de Souza established themselves as mainstay at the RM Playhouse on Sunday afternoons, educating listeners on how to comprehend and speak excellent English through local plays. These presenters subsequently gained popularity in the cultural life of the nation, and promoted social cohesion

Samson founded Blue Heavens to perform plays, songs and dances, primarily at the railway union hall, in order to raise money for charities and churches.

Multifaceted Icon

Samson had wrote and published two books; The Blue Heavens, about the drama group and life in Sentul during the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, and, The Cardinal, about his ties with the late Anthony Soter Fernandez, Malaysia’s first Roman Catholic cardinal.

When the Cahayasuara Communications Centre (CCC) of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur was founded in 1967, he was one of its original employees. Samson was often asked to do voiceover work for archdiocesan and parish-related video productions. He was also in high demand as a master of ceremonies for religious occasions.

Samson had published two books: The Cardinal, concerning his relationships with the late Anthony Soter Fernandez, Malaysia’s first Roman Catholic cardinal, and The Blue Heavens, about the theatrical group and life in Sentul throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.