Malaysia's ex-PM Mahathir, 101, hospitalised two days after wife's death

Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, 101, has been admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur for observation, two days after the death of his wife, Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali.

Mahathir was admitted on Tuesday night, his aide Sufi Yusoff told Reuters on Wednesday. The reason for the admission was not disclosed, and an official diagnosis was pending. The aide said Mahathir was in “a stable condition” and attributed his condition to exhaustion brought on by the emotional ups and downs of recent days, the hot weather and a lack of rest.

Siti Hasmah, 100, a medical doctor and public-health advocate married to Mahathir for 70 years, died on Monday at the same hospital. Mahathir’s son Mokhzani told Bernama his father had been admitted for observation, saying the past two days had been stressful but that Mahathir was “doing fine and not in a worrisome condition”.

Mahathir tearfully told the country’s former king that he “didn’t expect her to die today” at her funeral, according to a post on his social media accounts. Siti Hasmah was buried at the Pusara Negara national mausoleum in Putrajaya on Monday, with Mahathir attending from a wheelchair.

The former leader has a history of heart problems, having undergone two coronary bypass operations in 1989 and 2007. He was most recently hospitalised in January 2026 for a hip fracture following a fall.

Mahathir served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003 and returned to office in 2018 aged 92, serving until 2020.

Sources

• Reuters — Former Malaysian PM Mahathir, 101, admitted to hospital for observation
• Nikkei Asia — Malaysia’s former PM Mahathir, 101, hospitalized after wife’s death
• Straits Times — Malaysia’s former PM Mahathir in hospital after wife’s death
• Manila Times — Malaysia’s ex-PM Mahathir in hospital for observation