Wife of Malaysia's longest-serving PM Mahathir dies aged 100

Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, the wife of Malaysia's longest-serving Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and a public health advocate, died Monday at the age of 100, the veteran leader's office said.

A funeral will be held Monday evening, with Siti Hasmah to be buried at a Muslim cemetery in Malaysia's administrative capital, Putrajaya, Mahathir's office said, without providing further details.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed his condolences and said Siti Hasmah would be accorded a funeral with full state honors.

"The nation will continue to remember her motherly figure and appreciate her contributions and services," Anwar said in a statement.

Her husband, Mahathir, 101, is often credited with modernizing Malaysia. He served two stints as prime minister, totaling more than two decades.

Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad sits with his wife Siti Hasmah Mohammad Ali during the launching of Perkasa, a Malay rights organization, in Kuala Lumpur, March 27, 2010. Photo by Reuters

During his first tenure, from 1981 to 2003, he oversaw a period of rapid industrial growth that turned Malaysia into one of Southeast Asia's economic tigers.

He became the country's oldest prime minister in 2018 after coming out of retirement to defeat then-leader Najib Razak, who was involved in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB financial scandal. Mahathir's second stint in office ended less than two years later after his coalition collapsed in 2020 amid political infighting.

Mahathir met Siti Hasmah while they were both attending medical school in Singapore in the late 1940s. The couple, who celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in August, raised seven children, including businessman Mokhzani, social activist Marina and politician Mukhriz.

A popular figure in her own right, Siti Hasmah was known for her unassuming personality and good humor, contrasting with her husband's blunt and acerbic style.

She was the first woman appointed as a medical officer in Mahathir's home state of Kedah. As a political spouse, she championed maternal health, family planning and other social causes.

Mahathir once described her as the backbone of his success and said he admired her determination to obtain a university degree, which was rare among ethnic Malay women at the time.

"That, I think, reflects her strength of character," he told CNN in 2018.