Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, wife of former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and one of Malaya’s pioneering Malay women doctors, died on Monday at the age of 100.
She died on Monday morning at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur, according to Mahathir’s office. Her son, Mokhzani Mahathir, also confirmed her death, according to state news agency Bernama.
Siti Hasmah is survived by her husband, Mahathir Mohamad, 101, and their seven children.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed condolences to Mahathir and his family and paid tribute to Siti Hasmah’s contribution to the country.
“The nation will forever remember her maternal figure and cherish her contributions,” Anwar said.
The prime minister also directed authorities to accord Siti Hasmah a funeral with full state honours.
Born in Klang, Selangor, in 1926, Siti Hasmah was among the first Malay women to qualify as a doctor in Malaya. She graduated from the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore in 1955 before building a career with a particular focus on maternal and child health and rural public health.
She married Mahathir in 1956, and the couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in August 2026.
Siti Hasmah remained a prominent public figure throughout her husband’s decades in Malaysian politics. Mahathir served as the country’s prime minister for more than two decades, first from 1981 to 2003 and again from 2018 to 2020.