‘I didn’t expect her to die’: Ex-Malaysia PM Mahathir says wife 'quite well' the night before death
Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali died at the National Heart Institute on Sep 28. She was 100.
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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said he had not expected his wife Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali to die on Monday (Sep 28), recalling that she had appeared to be in good health the night before.
A video posted on Mahathir’s social media accounts showed the 101-year-old speaking with Pahang ruler Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah when the former king of Malaysia went to pay his final respects on Monday.
“I didn’t expect her (Hasmah) to die today,” a sombre Mahathir told the Pahang ruler, who was accompanied by his wife Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah and their son Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah.
“She was quite well last night,” he added.
Hasmah died at the National Heart Institute at about 9.20am on Monday. She was 100.
She was accorded a state funeral and laid to rest at the National Mausoleum in Putrajaya later that day. In videos that have gone viral online, Mahathir was seen weeping in a wheelchair during the final rites.
Her death was followed by a wave of tributes, with many remembering her warmth and grace, as well as contributions to Malaysia.
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Speaking to reporters on Monday after the funeral, her second-eldest son Mokhzani Mahathir, 65, said that Hasmah was in good spirits the night before she died, but her health suddenly deteriorated on Monday morning.
Another son, Mukhriz Mahathir, 61, said that his father had stayed by Hasmah’s side until she drew her last breath.
Mukhriz added that his mother’s heart began experiencing complications at around 8am on Monday and doctors performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
“She had always prioritised the people and the nation. In fact, she kept thinking about their future till the very end,” Mukhriz said of his mother, as quoted by local news platform Free Malaysia Today.
Mahathir’s daughter, Marina Mahathir, 69, said that her father remained in good health but was grieving the loss of his lifelong companion.
“Of course he is sad. She was his partner for 70 years. He feels lonely,” she told reporters on Monday, as quoted by local news platform Berita Harian.
Hasmah had been married to Mahathir since 1956 and they marked 70 years together in August.
They met as medical students at what was then known as King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore.
Upon graduation, Hasmah, who was born in Klang, Selangor, became the first woman to be appointed a medical officer in the government service in Kedah, her husband’s home state.
Hasmah also used her platform as the former prime minister’s wife to advocate for maternal health, family planning, literacy, drug abuse prevention and mental health.
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