Nike Ardilla
Raden Rara Nike Ratnadilla (27 December 1975 – 19 March 1995), better known as Nike Ardilla (), was an Indonesian singer, actress, model, and philanthropist. Usually referred to as the "Lady Rocker" and the "Queen of Rock" by the Indonesian media, Ardilla was instrumental in the return of teen pop rock in the country's music scene, and a dominant presence during the first half of the 1990s. At the height of her career and fame in 1995, she was involved in a traffic incident that took her life at the age of 19. Her death prompted an outpouring of  nationwide grief. The media regularly refers to the fact that she is the only musician in the country whose death continues to be mourned even after more than 25 years, and hailed by many as one of the most successful figures in Indonesia's entertainment industry. Ardilla has sold more than 30 million albums to date, making her the best-selling Indonesian artist in history and her 1990 album "Bintang Kehidupan" which has sold over 6 million copies in Southeast Asia, holds the title of being the best-selling Indonesian album of all time. Early life. Raden Rara Nike Ratnadilla  was born on 27 December 1975 in Bandung, West Java, to youngest child of three siblings of Raden Edi Kusnadi and Nining Ningsihrat. She has Dutch and German ancestry from her maternal grandmother who was descended from the "Geesdorf" family. Her father worked for the Indonesian Railway Company ("PT Kereta Api Indonesia"), which caused the family to move periodically throughout her childhood. They eventually settled in Bandung where she began performing in talent shows at the age of five, winning a local singing competition in 1980. Career. Denny Sabri, a talent scout, helped Ardilla sign a record deal with Arista  Records. In 1987, she contributed to a compilation album titled "Bandung Rock Power", which featured Nicky Astria, Mel Shandy among others. When Ardilla was 13, she released her debut album "Seberkas Sinar" in 1989 which she managed to finish recording within a day. It reached number one on the charts, and sold over 1 million copies within a year. The title track stayed at the top of the charts for ten weeks, and the album had further hits with the top-ten ballad "Cinta Pertama", and the top-five song "Tembang Asmara." In the spring of 1990, Ardilla released her  second album, "Bintang Kehidupan", with a chart-topping title track. The album itself also topped the charts on its debut, selling over 500,000 copies in its first week and setting a new record for single-week sales by a female artist. By 1991, "Bintang Kehidupan" had sold over two million copies and won two BASF Awards, for Best New Artist and Best Selling Album. She performed the title track at the 1991 Asia Song Festival in Shanghai where she won the "Gold Prize of New Singer." Her next album "Nyalakan Api" was released in the autumn of 1990, which earned  her a third BASF Award, again for Best Selling Album. Her fourth album "Matahariku" was released in the summer of 1991 and was followed in the spring of 1992 by "Biarlah Aku Mengalah", which was featured on "Musik Plus". After winning Best Selling Album consecutively at the 1993 BASF Awards, Ardilla released the greatest hits album, "Tinggallah Ku Sendiri (The Best Of)". It spawned the hit single "Tinggallah Ku Sendiri". She moved from Billboard Records (now EMI) to Musica Studios for her record "Biarkan Cintamu Berlalu", which debuted at number one and earned her the 1994 HDX Best Selling Album  award. Her final album, "Sandiwara Cinta", was released on 1 March 1995. The single first began airing on the radio in late February. The first version of the "Sandiwara Cinta" video debuted on TV in late February 1995. A second version of the video was released posthumously in April 1995, featuring Ardilla in the style of her idol Marilyn Monroe. "Sandiwara Cinta" won HDX Awards for Best Selling Album, Best Single ("Deru Debu"), and Best Video Klip MTV Indonesia. In addition to singing, Ardilla was also active as an actress and model. In 1986, she joined the cast of the  film "Kasmaran", starring Ida Iasha and Slamet Rahardjo in which she played the daughter of Iasha's character. In 1988, She starred in one of the best-selling regional film series: Sri Kabayan for which she recorded a single for the soundtrack of the film. In 1990, Nike starred as the main character in the movie "Ricky Nakalnya Anak Muda" with actor "Ryan Hidayat" that became box office hit. Nike continued to produce successful films throughout the period of the late 80s to early 90s. She was also successful in several soap operas, including NONE, one of the highly rated  soap operas directed by Putu Wijaya. In 1990, Ardilla won a modeling competition "Gadis Sampul" and a "Best Model Catwalk" award in the "LA Model Contest" in Bandung two years prior. Death and legacy. On the night of 18 March 1995, Ardilla met with friends from "Aneka-Yess!", a popular teenage magazine, at Jayakarta Hotel Bandung, to discuss the election of the magazine's cover girl and cover boy. The vote was to be held the following day, with her appearing as a guest star at the event. She spent the early hours of the next day with friends and  later left a hotel at 05:15 AM to go home with her female companion and bodyguard, Atun Sofiatun. While attempting to overtake another car, she lost control of her Honda Civic Genio and slammed it into a wall in a suburban Bandung street, killing her instantly. Sofiatun, severely injured, was taken to a hospital where she recovered, though with little recollection of the crash. She was buried on the same day (per Islamic funeral customs) in Ciamis, West Java, in the presence of family, friends, fans, reporters as well as tens of thousands of mourners. Two months after her death , a commemorative concert was held in Bandung with performances from some of Indonesia's best-known artists, proceeds from which went into the establishment of a charity, the Nike Ardilla Foundation. Some international media outlets reported her passing, such as Hong Kong Asiaweek and the US Billboard. In 1996, Pos Indonesia published commemorative postcards and envelopes, which were sold out within days. In the same year, daily Bandung newspaper "Pikiran Rakyat" reported the Nike Ardilla stamps issued in Abkhazia and Tuva, Russia. Her posthumous releases, such as albums "Mama Aku Ingin Pulang" (1995) and "Suara Hatiku" (1996) were met with  success. In 2013, JK released her early unreleased material "Hanya Satu Nama", originally recorded in 1988 under the name "Nike Astrina." Ardilla appeared as a cover in the 370th edition of NOVA tabloid which was originally published in March 1995, managed to sell over 900,000 copies and remains the all-time best selling Tabloid edition. A quarter of a century after her death, her untimely departure has been said to leave an "eternal sorrow" throughout the country. She remains both a legend and a phenomenon in the Indonesian music scene today. Every year, thousands of fans commemorate her passing by  visiting her grave and the Nike Ardilla Museum, which was constructed in her memory. Fan clubs dedicated to her are still running with active members. Wendi Putranto, a music observer, described Ardilla as "one in a million", a female version of Elvis Presley with a "cult status" in Indonesian pop culture. He further described her death as being similar to that of a president, and the national TV airing the news of her passing for an extended period of time. George Quinn, the Dean of the Asian Studies Faculty of the Australian National University, Canberra, conducted a research in 2007  on the Javanese pilgrimage. He compared the people who made pilgrimages to Ardila's grave to those who often make pilgrimages and pray at the tomb of saints (such as the Wali Sanga), and mentioned Ardilla as the only pop culture figure who has achieved such an honour. Personal life. Melly Goeslaw, one of Ardilla's closest friends, described her as 'a person with high morals' and 'a very humble and kind person', who had the habits of bringing home numerous gifts after returning from abroad. They have known each other since childhood due to being neighbours. Ardilla is also  one of the figures who helped Goeslaw build her musical career. In 1993, Ardilla funded the construction of a special school in Bandung for the deaf and mentally handicapped children. It was completed in 1995 after she died. The school still stands today funded with income from the continuing sales of her albums and is cited as an instance of her pious concern for the less fortunate.