SINGAPORE — For more than a year, Sheikh Haikel was fighting one of the toughest battles of his life largely away from public view.
Now, the Singapore rap pioneer, entertainer and businessman has revealed that he has stage 4 colon cancer, saying the disease has spread aggressively to his liver.
The 50-year-old disclosed his diagnosis publicly on Friday, September 4, after previously keeping it within his immediate family because he did not want friends, fans and those around him to worry.
Speaking to CNA Lifestyle, Haikel said he was diagnosed more than a year ago. With the cancer now affecting his liver, however, he felt the time had come to tell people what he and his family had been going through.
And despite the seriousness of the diagnosis, the message Haikel delivered was not one of surrender.
It was one of determination.
A battle the public never knew he was fighting
For much of the past year, Haikel continued appearing publicly and working while keeping his illness private.
He acknowledged that there had been both difficult and better days, but said his faith and determination remained central to how he was approaching treatment.
In an emotional social-media video announcing the diagnosis, Haikel said sharing the truth had brought him some relief after months of concealing what was happening.
His message to supporters was unmistakable: “I ain’t going nowhere anytime soon.”
The announcement also explained something friends had apparently noticed.
Haikel admitted that when people asked whether he was all right, he sometimes avoided telling them the real reason he was struggling. He also apologised on behalf of his wife, actress and entrepreneur Anna Belle Francis, explaining that she had been respecting his wish to keep the diagnosis private.
The couple have three children, Triqka, Abbra and Juz.
Wife reveals Haikel has undergone surgery
A separate report by Berita Harian provided additional details about the severity of Haikel’s condition.
Francis told the newspaper that Haikel had already undergone surgery, but that the tumour was aggressive and had affected his liver. She said the family was continuing to pursue treatment.
Berita Harian also reported that its journalist had seen Haikel at the family’s restaurant on August 19 appearing to be in significant pain before he was subsequently taken to hospital.
The newspaper said he was now resting at home while undergoing treatment.
Neither Haikel nor his family has publicly disclosed the precise treatment regimen, and it would therefore be inappropriate to speculate about his prognosis or the specific therapies he is receiving.
Why “Final Applause” could become much more than a title
Perhaps one of the most striking details to emerge from the announcement is what Haikel intends to do next.
Rather than disappearing completely from public life, Berita Harian reported that he plans to launch a new podcast called Final Applause, where he intends to speak openly about living with cancer and undergoing treatment.
The title also appeared in the social-media announcement through the hashtag #FINALAPPLAUSE.
But Haikel and Francis do not appear to be framing the project simply as a farewell.
According to Berita Harian, the couple hope talking publicly about the diagnosis can create meaningful conversations and offer support to others facing similar circumstances. Francis described what the family is going through as the beginning of a new story rather than simply an ending.
That distinction matters.
For an entertainer whose career has largely been built on communicating directly with an audience, the most personal chapter may now become the one he had originally hoped to keep private.
Three decades at the heart of Singapore entertainment
For younger audiences, Haikel may increasingly be familiar as an entrepreneur behind restaurants such as Hai Ge Ji.
But his influence on Singapore entertainment stretches back more than three decades.
The Straits Times has described him as one of Singapore’s earliest rap trailblazers. In 1991, Haikel and Ashidiq Ghazali, performing as the duo Construction Sight, won the regional television music competition Asia Bagus.
His career subsequently expanded far beyond hip-hop.
He became an actor, radio personality and host, appearing in productions including Army Daze, Phua Chu Kang and Under One Roof, while also hosting major public events and working at Singapore radio stations.
After roughly three decades in music, Haikel announced plans in 2021 to step back from the industry and focus more heavily on his restaurant ventures.
That entrepreneurial chapter has continued with Francis.
The family was rebuilding its restaurant business at the same time
What makes the timing of Haikel’s revelation particularly striking is that his illness unfolded while he and his wife were also navigating upheaval in their F&B business.
Their halal Hainanese chicken rice restaurant Hai Ge Ji, launched in 2024, recently moved from North Bridge Road to Bussorah Street after its former lease ended.
AsiaOne reported in June that the couple had been forced to find a new location on short notice, while Francis spoke about the financial and operational pressures involved in relocating the business.
CNA’s earlier coverage said the couple nevertheless pushed ahead with the move and continued developing their food businesses.
What the public did not know at the time was that Haikel was simultaneously dealing with cancer.
CNA reported on Friday that the couple intends to continue operating Hai Ge Ji and meeting customers at its new Bussorah Street location.
Colon cancer remains one of Singapore’s biggest cancer burdens
Haikel’s diagnosis also puts renewed attention on a cancer that remains among Singapore’s most commonly diagnosed.
The latest Singapore Cancer Registry Annual Report, covering 2019 to 2023, ranks colorectal cancer as the second-most commonly diagnosed cancer in both Singapore men and women.
Among male colorectal-cancer cases with staging data during that period, about 25.6 per cent were diagnosed at stage 4. For women, the corresponding figure was 25.9 per cent.
Stage 4 colorectal cancer means the disease has spread beyond the colon or rectum to distant parts of the body. The Singapore Cancer Society notes that colorectal cancer cells can travel through the bloodstream to the liver, where secondary cancer deposits can develop.
That medical context is consistent with what Haikel and his family have publicly disclosed, although no conclusions should be drawn about his individual outlook from population-level statistics.
Screening becomes particularly important from age 50
The Singapore Cancer Society recommends colorectal-cancer screening for average-risk men and women from age 50, either with regular Faecal Immunochemical Tests (FIT) or colonoscopy according to recommended intervals.
The Ministry of Health said in March 2026 that colorectal screening remains among the common cancer screenings recommended and heavily subsidised under Healthier SG.
Possible warning signs can include blood in the stool, persistent changes in bowel habits, abdominal discomfort, anaemia or an abdominal lump, although colorectal cancer can produce no symptoms in its early stages.
Importantly, nothing publicly disclosed about Haikel’s diagnosis establishes his previous screening history, symptoms or risk factors, so his case should not be used to speculate about why the disease developed.
From keeping silent to telling the whole story
Within hours of Haikel’s announcement, messages of encouragement were appearing from entertainers, friends, public figures and fans.
The response reflects the unusual place he occupies in Singapore popular culture — a performer whose career stretches from the formative years of local hip-hop to radio, television, film and, more recently, entrepreneurship.
For more than a year, Haikel and his family chose to carry his diagnosis privately.
Now, they have made the opposite decision.
They want to talk about it.
And if Final Applause becomes the platform Haikel intends it to be, one of Singapore hip-hop’s longest-running voices may be preparing to tell its most difficult — and potentially most meaningful — story yet.
Leave a Reply