Sakorn Yangkhieosod, founder of the internationally renowned Joe Louis Puppet Theatre, right, passed away peacefully of lung disease and kidney failure at a Bangkok hospital yesterday.

He was suffering from lung disease and kidney failure and had been admitted to Kasemrad Rattanathibet Hospital on May 9.

A seven-day prayer service for Sakorn will start today with a royally-sponsored bathing rite at Wat Bang Phai in Nonthaburi. The royally-sponsored cremation has not yet been scheduled.

"The country has lost one of its great artists," said sculptor Watchara Prayoonkun, who has created life-size sculptures of Sakorn since 1992.

Born in 1922, Sakorn grew up in a family of khon (masked drama) performers and became a comedian in likay (musical folk drama) performances. He founded the Joe Louis Puppet Theatre in 1985 to conserve the disappearing art of hun lakorn lek (traditional Thai small puppets).

Sakorn adapted and improved on the puppets originally developed from hun luang (royal puppets) - which have greater detail but are less mobile - by Krae Sapthawanich, who never passed on his craft and techniques to anyone.

Currently the only puppet troupe in the country, the Joe Louis Puppet Theatre combines khon with clever puppet manipulation.

The troupe almost collapsed in 2004 due to poor management but was saved when a public outcry raised sufficient funds to pay the outstanding rent on its theatre at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar.

Sakorn is survived by nine children, some of whom run the theatre at Suan Lum while the others are forming a new troupe, to be called "Sakorn Haanlakorn Lek", that will open at the 578-seat Aksara Grand Theatre at the King Power Complex on Soi Langnam in September.

Led by Sakorn's son Pisutr Yangkhieosod, the Joe Louis Puppet Theatre won "Best Traditional Performance Award" at the 10th World Festival of Puppet Art in Prague, the Czech Republic, last June.

Sakorn's life-long devotion to the art of puppetry was recognised in 1996 with the title of National Artist for performing arts (traditional Thai small puppet). Although he didn't leave behind any unfinished projects, he kept working until the last few days of his life. He was to have joined the new puppet troupe at King Power Complex.

"Khru [Sakorn] always taught his children to keep alive Thai puppet theatre, and devoted his whole life to preserving this art," Watchara recalled, adding that the late master had been preparing to leave the art scene since last year.

Last year, Sakorn requested the 41-year-old sculptor to create two life-size fibreglass sculptures of him for display at his children's homes. One, for his son Pisutr, depicts the puppeteer manipulating puppets while the other, for his daughter, Namkamol, has him sitting on a chair.

Watchara says the latter sculpture will have a hole made at the back to keep the puppeteer's ashes.

"To me, Khru Sakorn is a legendary contemporary artist who devoted his life to the art of puppetry. I learned so much from his life and art," he said.

Prisana Pongtadsirikul, secretary-general of the Office of National Culture Commission (ONCC) expressed a great loss for the local art cycle. "The puppet master's been such a devotee and great helper to the country."

The ONCC will give Bt135,000 and commemorative books to Sakorn's family at the cremation service.

Phattarawadee Phattaranawik,

Sirinya Wattanasukchai

The Nation