Thailand mourns the loss of vocal icon Santi Loonpe
The national artist, who was known for his legendary renditions of King Rama IX’s compositions and patriotic songs, dies at age 88
Sub-Lieutenant Santi Loonpe, who was named the 2015 national artist in performing arts – vocals, died from an undisclosed illness at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn Hospital on Tuesday. He was 88.
Santi, aka Phaisan Loonpe, was born on June 22, 1939, in Phra Nakhon province, which later became a Bangkok district. Santi’s talent as a singer came from his mother, herself a singer from Lampang, and his father’s devotion to Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla. They inspired him to train under Sang Asatthawasee of Thammasat University Band while he was studying at the university.
He later completed training in choir singing in Israel before training as a tenor at several churches in Thailand. He then became the Bangkok Combined Choir (BBC)’s only Thai member.
Santi’s rise to the top started as a singer at the Royal Thai Navy Band and later with many other bands. His iconic voice added a majestic tone to film soundtracks, patriotic songs as well as numbers composed by King Rama IX.
In an interview, Santi once said that singing “The Impossible Dream”, which was composed by the beloved monarch, turned his life around from a lesser-known singer to a famous one. He said the King would himself listen to the band practice at Chitralada Royal Villa, and give advice on how to play and sing as if he were the producer.
In 2015, Santi was named national artist in performing arts – vocals by the Culture Ministry’s Office of National Culture Commission.
In his later years, Santi taught classical singing and served as an adviser to the rector of Mahidol University’s College of Music.
