Wife of Malaysia’s former Premier Mahathir dies at 100

Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, wife of Malaysia's former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, died on Monday at the age of 100, the veteran leader's office said.

Siti Hasmah died at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur on Monday morning, state news agency Bernama reported, citing her son Mokhzani Mahathir.

She is survived by Mahathir, 101, and their seven children.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed condolences to Mahathir and his family, saying Malaysia would remember Siti Hasmah's contributions to the country.

"I express our deepest condolences and sympathies on the passing of the late Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali," Anwar said on US social media platform X. "The nation will forever remember her maternal figure and cherish her contributions."

Anwar said he directed officials to accord Siti Hasmah a funeral with full state honors.

Born in Klang, Selangor, in 1926, Siti Hasmah was among the first Malay women to become a doctor in Malaya. She graduated from the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore in 1955 and later worked extensively in maternal and child health and rural public health.

She married Mahathir in 1956, and the couple marked their 70th wedding anniversary in August.

Mahathir served as Malaysia's prime minister from 1981 to 2003 and again from 2018 to 2020.