A day after his wife's death, Mahathir Mohamad fell ill and was hospitalized.

A day after the passing of his beloved wife of seventy years, Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, aged 100, Malaysia's former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, aged 101, was admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur for observation on the night of September 29, 2026.

His second son, 65-year-old Tan Sri Mokhzani Mahathir, and his long-time aide and press secretary, Sufi Yusof, confirmed the hospitalization. They stated that he was admitted due to the emotional trauma, extreme fatigue, hot weather, and lack of rest he experienced over the past few days, and that his condition is currently stable. Family members pointed out that it is difficult for a 101-year-old person to endure such emotional stress, and therefore, keeping him under medical observation is a normal procedure, not an emergency. As of September 30, doctors had not yet provided an official diagnosis.

Mahathir had also stayed at the same hospital where his wife received her final treatment, remaining by her side. Siti Hasmah, who was hospitalized on September 26 due to another medical condition, passed away between 9:20 AM and 9:25 AM on Monday, September 28, due to a heart attack. Doctors had administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to her around 8:00 AM that morning. Her son, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, stated that his mother was happy the previous night but had said she was ready to bid farewell to the family.

Mahathir, in tears, told the former King, the Sultan of Pahang, that her death was unexpected and that she had been in very good health the previous night. Mahathir also issued a statement of condolence, seeking forgiveness and peace for her. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim instructed for a state funeral with full honors to be organized for her, recalling her as a figure close to the people and full of maternal affection.

Her body was taken from the hospital to their home, and then to the Masjid As-Syakirin mosque for religious rites. Her body, draped in the Malaysian national flag, was carried by eight armed forces and police officers, and the burial took place around 6:20 PM at the National Mausoleum (Pusara Negara) in Putrajaya. During the funeral, Mahathir, seated in a wheelchair and receiving oxygen through his nose, became deeply emotional and shed tears while placing flowers and water on his wife's grave with family members.

The current King and Queen of Malaysia, the Sultans of Selangor and Pahang, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, former Prime Ministers Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Deputy Prime Ministers Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Fadillah Yusof, and many other political figures, including rivals, attended the event. Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also sent a message of condolence.

The couple, who met as medical students in Singapore and married on August 5, 1956, have seven children, and their marriage completed 70 years this August. They were recorded as the oldest former head of state and spouse in the Asian region to live past 100 years of age.

Born on July 12, 1926, in Klang, Siti Hasmah was one of Malaysia's first Malay female doctors. She made significant contributions to the health sector, serving as the first female medical officer in the Maternal and Child Health Department in 1965 and as the first female State Maternal and Child Health Officer in Kedah in 1974. Through her intervention, the infant mortality rate in Kedah was reduced from 75 deaths per 1,000 live births to 6. As the Prime Minister's wife, she undertook extensive social work for maternal health, family planning, literacy, and drug prevention.

Born on July 10, 1925, Mahathir Mohamad is Malaysia's longest-serving Prime Minister and became the world's oldest elected leader in 2018 at the age of 92. He underwent heart bypass surgeries in 1989 and 2007, and in January 2026, he suffered a hip injury from a fall at home and received physiotherapy treatment. The current hospitalization is solely for observation, and no new heart condition has been publicly confirmed yet.