His films and music remain beloved, and his contributions to the cultural heritage of Malaysia, Singapore and the broader Malay-speaking world (i.e. the Nusantara) are celebrated to this day.

His father, Teuku Nyak Puteh, who was a descendant of a wealthy family in Aceh, migrated from Lhokseumawe in Aceh, Indonesia, to settle in Penang, where he married P. Ramlee’s mother, who hailed from Kubang Buaya, Butterworth, North Seberang Perai and were domiciled at the Sungai Pinang suburb of the capital, Georgetown (where his birthplace museum still stands today).

His studies at the Penang Free School were interrupted by the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945, during which he was enrolled in the Imperial Naval Academy (Kaigun Heigakkō).

[5] By 1948, the 19 year-old Ramlee had already won a number of singing competitions, and was writing his own songs and playing the violin in a kroncong band.

Rajhans placed Ramlee in a supporting role in his 1948 film Chinta ("Love"), in which he played a villain, and he also performed five songs as a playback singer providing vocals for the lead actor Roomai Noor [ms].

[15] Other significant films he directed for MFP include Antara Dua Darjat, Ibu Mertua-ku and Tiga Abdul.

[18] Before dawn of 29 May 1973, P. Ramlee died at the age of 44 from a heart attack and was buried at Jalan Ampang Muslim Cemetery in Kuala Lumpur.

It was only during the late 1980s, two decades after his death, that his contributions became much more honoured[18] for their significance in the late-colonial and post-independent nation-building periods they were made, partly out of deep shame and sense of pity (kasihan) towards discovery of said tragic final years by generations after him.

[16] On 16 June 1983, the fourth Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad expressed the need to take genuinely effective measures to commemorate Ramlee's contributions as the nation's greatest artist.

The house had previously undergone multiple repairs before being taken over by the National Archives as an extension of its P. Ramlee Memorial project in Kuala Lumpur.

[22][23] In 2021, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) honoured him with their limited-time menu, the Burger P. Ramlee — a combination between KFC Zinger and P. Ramlee's favourite dish, the Nasi Kandar where it is available in four combos — À'la Carte, Kombo, Set Legenda and Kombo Ikon.

[24][25] P. Ramlee was involved in many aspects of his films: as scriptwriter, director, actor as well as music composer and singer.