His father, Teuku Nyak Puteh, is a decendant of a wealthy family in Aceh, travelled from Lhokseumawe in Aceh, Indonesia, to settle in Penang, where his father married his mother, who is hailed from Kubang Buaya, Butterworth. Ramlee was born on 22 March 1929 to Teuku Nyak Puteh Bin Teuku Karim (1902–1955) and Che Mah Binti Hussein (1904–1967).
