KUALA LUMPUR: Former education minister Tan Sri Musa Mohamad, who was also former Universiti Sains Malaysia vice-chancellor, died today.
Musa, 81, is believed to have died at 7pm.
News of his passing was shared by USM Senior Deputy Registrar Mohamad Abdullah via a social media posting.
"I received sad news on the passing of USM's third vice-chancellor Tan Sri Musa Mohamad.
"May his soul be blessed by Allah SWT and may he be placed among the faithful and righteous," he wrote.
He said USM is indebted to Musa, especially in the aspects of physical and academic development, particularly regarding its strong foundation on medical science and engineering.
"He was a stern yet jovial person, principled, kind and with a vision.
"I personally owe him a great debt for carving out a path on my work and thought process throughout his years in USM," he said.
Musa, who served as USM vice-chancellor from 1982 to 1995, was also an Umno supreme council member from 2000 and 2003.
He was Malaysia's 14th education minister, holding the post from 1999 to 2004.