Key facts
- Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, died on September 28.
- She was 100 years old at the time of her death.
- She passed away at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur.
- Siti Hasmah was a doctor and advocated for maternal health, literacy, and other causes.
- She was married to Mahathir Mohamad since 1956 and they had seven children.
- She was laid to rest at Pusara Negarawan, a national cemetery in Putrajaya.
Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, the wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, died on September 28 at the age of 100. She passed away at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur. Known as "Ibu Negara" (Mother of the Nation), she was also a mother of seven, grandmother to 18, and great-grandmother to four.
Born in Klang, Selangor, on July 12, 1926, Siti Hasmah obtained her medical degree from King Edward VII College of Medicine and became one of the first Malay female medical officers in Malaya upon graduating in 1955. She married her university classmate, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in 1956, and they recently celebrated their platinum wedding anniversary. She used her platform as the former prime minister's wife to advocate for maternal health, literacy, drug abuse prevention, and mental health.
Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and Queen Raja Zarith Sofiah offered their condolences, as did Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who described her as "a gentle speaker, yet steadfast and strong in spirit, always caring for those around her with the love of a mother." Siti Hasmah was accorded a state funeral and laid to rest at Pusara Negarawan, a national cemetery in Putrajaya, on September 28.
Her enduring marriage to Mahathir Mohamad has inspired many. Former Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and his fiancée, singer-actress Bella Astillah, had sought marital advice from Siti Hasmah shortly before her passing.