KUALA LUMPUR (BERNAMA) – Malaysian academician and social activist Dr Wan Zawawi Wan Ibrahim, 75, died yesterday following a heart attack.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree holder from Monash University, Melbourne, Dr Wan Zawawi was a highly respected academic, who had spent years as an anthropology professor under several higher education institutions including Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD).
The deceased’s sister Datin Wan Hiyati when contacted by Bernama yesterday, said her brother collapsed while preparing to perform his Subuh prayers at his home in Section 11, Petaling Jaya.
He leaves a wife, Noorshah Mohd Salleh, two sons and a daughter.
Dr Wan Zawawi also has another son from his previous marriage with Australian Dr Leslie O’Brien who now lives in Sydney.
The professor was also a singer and songwriter who had composed several songs with poetic lyrics and humanitarian elements that were sung either by him or other artistes.