KUALA LUMPUR – Celebrated Malaysian percussionist Lewis Pragasam died of a heart attack early this morning. He was 66.
The Lewis Pragasam Official Fan Page on Facebook announced the drummer’s death at 3am today at Beacon Hospital.
Media reports said the jazz musician had collapsed during a performance at a Christmas concert last night and was taken to the hospital. He had also just attended the Eco Drum Jam at Plaza Shah Alam the day before, on Saturday, where he gave a percussion workshop for children and parents.
In 1979, Pragasam founded Asiabeat, first as a percussion group experimenting with instruments and sounds from the region.
It grew to become an ensemble of global musicians who fused different ethnic music styles to high acclaim from worldwide audiences.
Pragasam, regarded as one of Asia’s groundbreaking jazz percussionists, had also received a Fulbright Scholarship and taught as an artist in residence at East Carolina University.
As an educator, Pragasam conducted numerous drum and percussion workshops and also wrote books on percussion styles.
His performances with other award-winning musicians have included Grammy-winning saxophonist Ernie Watts, jazz and R&B singer Randy Crawford, and Japanese bamboo flute player John Kaizan Neptune. – December 18, 2023