Remembering Oka, a Man Who Knew How to Turn Controversy Into Celebrity

Oka Mahendra Putra, the former manager and boyfriend of social media star "AWKARIN," died last night of still unconfirmed causes. It was two days before his birthday.

The 22-year-old was the former CEO of Takis Entertainment, a record label and publicist that only seven months ago was seen as one of the rising stars in the Indonesian hip-hop scene. But in May the company fell apart amid allegations that Takis was mismanaged, drowning in debt, and not paying its stars.

It was a dramatic fall for the young Oka, a man who told us he wanted to make enough money to retire by the age of 25. VICE staff met Oka back in November of last year when we were shooting a short documentary on the controversy surrounding his top star and then girlfriend Karin Novilda, or AWKARIN.

He was an engaging guy who had a serious love of hip-hop who was quickly earning a reputation as someone who could manage the sometimes turbulent rise of young celebrities like AWKARIN. He told us that his goal was to make hip-hop as popular as dangdut in Indonesia.

A few months later, trouble began to brew. Oka and AWKARIN's publicly relationship fell apart. The star later told local media that she was owed a bunch of money. By the time Takis went under, the company's biggest stars, AWKARIN and its co-founder Young Lex had already moved on.

Oka disappeared from the spotlight. Then last night news broke on social media that he had taken his own life. Local news outlets reported the claim as true, but his family has remained quiet about the cause of death. VICE reached out to several of Oka's friends and former associates. All told our reporters that Oka had died, but none were willing to confirm the suicide rumors.

We have not been able to independently verify the cause of death ourselves and we respect the wishes of the family to keep things private during these difficult times.

AWKARIN mourned Oka's death on Instagram, posting, "you promised to hug me and quavo every single night, and put us to sleep. you promised. happy earlier birthday. quavo says hi. he misses you so much. see you on the other side, sweetheart. karin hancur banget ka. we love you."

Young Lex, who founded Takis with Oka and considered the man his best friend, posted his own goodbye to Instagram, writing "R.I.P brother! And happy birthday tomorrow, ☺️".

Gibran Prio Adihutomo, who raps under the name MASGIB and was once signed to Takis, told VICE that Oka was an incredibly supportive and giving person.

"He always reminded me to keep making music," he told VICE. "May he rest in peace."

If you or someone you know is considering suicide please take a moment and reach out to the kind suicide prevention staff at Into the Light either via this form or at pendampingan.itl@gmail.com. The organization is also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

And remember, a lot of us struggle with depression and dark thoughts.

You are not alone.