Panda Nababan: key obituary facts
Is Panda Nababan dead? Yes. Panda Nababan died on November 9, 2026, at age 82.
Cause of death: Panda Nababan's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Panda Nababan known for?
Panda Nababan was an Indonesian politician.
Panda Nababan, an Indonesian politician and senior journalist who served as a member of parliament from 1999 to 2012, died November 9, 2026, aged 82.
Born Pandapotan Maruli Asi Nababan, he became widely known by the shortened name Panda Nababan. He attended Nasrani junior high school in Medan, graduating in 1959, and completed senior high school there in 1962.
He began university studies at HKBP Nommensen University in Pematangsiantar, continuing through 1963, before moving to Jakarta to study at Bung Karno University through 1966. Nababan entered journalism in 1969 at Warta Harian, where he worked until 1970. He then served as an editor at Sinar Harapan from 1970 to 1987, was deputy head of Prioritas in 1987 and 1988, and led research and development at Media Indonesia from 1988 to 1989. His reporting received the Adinegoro journalism award in 1976, a distinction noted as a high point in his journalistic career. In politics, he was associated with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, known by its Indonesian initials, PDIP.