Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has been admitted to the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur, two days after the death of his wife, Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali.
The 101-year-old was taken to hospital on Tuesday night for observation, his aide Sufi Yusoff said on Wednesday. The reason for the admission remained unclear pending an official diagnosis.
Dr Mahathir has a history of heart problems and has undergone bypass surgery. He has also been hospitalised several times in recent years, most recently in January after suffering a hip fracture in a fall.
His wife, a medical doctor and public health advocate, died on Monday aged 100. The couple had been married for 70 years.
Dr Mahathir appeared visibly affected by her death. In video recorded at her funeral and posted on his social media accounts, he was seen telling the country’s former king, through tears: “I didn’t expect her to die today.”
Dr Mahathir led Malaysia for more than two decades across two separate periods as prime minister.
