Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, the wife of Malaysia’s longest-serving prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, has died at the age of 100, the former premier’s office said on Monday.
Siti Hasmah died at the National Heart Institute, Malaysia’s state news agency Bernama reported, citing the couple’s son Mokhzani Mahathir. No further details about her death were immediately available.
A life alongside Malaysia’s longest-serving leader
Mahathir, 101, served as Malaysia’s prime minister for more than two decades across two separate terms.
During his first tenure, from 1981 to 2003, he oversaw a period of rapid industrialisation and economic growth that helped transform Malaysia into one of Southeast Asia’s major emerging economies.
He returned to office in 2018 after coming out of retirement and becoming the world’s oldest serving prime minister at the time. His political comeback helped defeat then-prime minister Najib Razak, whose administration had been engulfed in a multibillion-dollar financial scandal.
Mahathir’s second term lasted less than two years before his coalition government collapsed in 2020 amid political divisions.
70 years of marriage
Mahathir and Siti Hasmah met while studying medicine in Singapore in the late 1940s.
The couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in August. They had seven children, including businessman Mokhzani Mahathir, social activist Marina Mahathir and politician Mukhriz Mahathir.
Siti Hasmah was a physician and became a prominent public figure in her own right during her husband’s long political career.
She was known for her quiet personality and sense of humour, which often contrasted with Mahathir’s outspoken and sometimes abrasive political style.
𝗦𝗔𝗟𝗔𝗠 𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗭𝗜𝗔𝗛
Dengan rasa duka yang amat mendalam, seluruh warga Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia merakamkan ucapan takziah kepada mantan Perdana Menteri Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad serta seluruh ahli keluarga di atas pemergian insan yang amat dikasihi,- pic.twitter.com/nUK59PjjHa
— Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) (@StatsMalaysia) September 28, 2026
Champion of public health and social causes
As Malaysia’s first lady, Siti Hasmah supported a range of public health and social initiatives, including family planning and efforts aimed at improving healthcare and social welfare.
She was also recognised for pursuing a professional career at a time when university education was less common among Malay women.
Mahathir once described his wife as the backbone of his success and praised her determination to obtain a university degree.
“That, I think, reflects her strength of character,” he told CNN in 2018.
Siti Hasmah remained a respected public figure in Malaysia throughout her husband’s political career and later years.
