Siti Hasmah, wife of Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister Mahathir, dies aged 100

Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, the wife of Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, died on Monday aged 100, the veteran leader’s office said.

She died at the National Heart Institute, state news agency Bernama reported, citing the couple’s son Mokhzani Mahathir. No further details were immediately available.

Mahathir, 101, is often credited with modernising Malaysia. He served two stints as premier totalling more than two decades: during his first tenure, from 1981 to 2003, he oversaw rapid industrial growth that turned Malaysia into one of Southeast Asia’s economic tigers.

He came out of retirement in 2018 to become the country’s oldest prime minister, toppling Najib Razak, who was caught up in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB financial scandal. His second stint in office ended in less than two years 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 70 years of marriage in August, raised seven children, including businessman Mokhzani, social activist Marina Mahathir and politician Mukhriz Mahathir.

A popular figure in her own right, Siti Hasmah was known for her unassuming personality and good humour, and as a political spouse championed public health, family planning and other social causes. Mahathir once described her as the backbone to his success, saying he admired her determination to obtain a university degree, “a rarity among ethnic Malay women at the time”.

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

Sources

• Reuters — “Wife of Malaysia’s longest-serving PM Mahathir dies at 100” (28 Sept 2026): https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/wife-malaysias-longest-serving-pm-mahathir-dies-100-2026-09-28/