KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan Tatparanandam, who had been battling a progressively worsening lung disease, spent his final months reflecting on the enduring goodwill he had received, his children said.
In a heartfelt statement, his three children also expressed their gratitude to friends of their late father for the immense support they had given him over the past few years.
"TAK, AK, Uncle Ananda, or Krish to his Aussie mates, had an amazing tale to tell—one which began in pre-war Kuala Lumpur and ended up literally spanning the globe.
"Over the last few weeks and months, so much of his reminiscing revolved around the people he met throughout his life: how fortunate he felt to have made such good friends, and to have received so much goodwill and support over the years.
"But being a private man, he kept his thoughts largely to himself and was certainly not one for sentimental goodbyes," they said.
They said though Ananda had been suffering from lung disease, he did his best to stay active and even spent the past summer on his boat in Turkiye while still taking joy in working on his projects.
"On returning to Switzerland, looking forward to another winter in the Alps, however, it soon became clear that his condition was now advancing rapidly.
"So, as his children, we would like to take this chance to say farewell to you on his behalf, with gratitude for your part in his journey. And now he is moving on.
"He never wrote his memoirs, and there must be some great untold stories there," they said.
Ananda, a towering figure in Malaysia's business landscape, passed away on Nov 28.
Among his flagship achievements are the establishment of Maxis Communications, Malaysia's leading telecommunications company, and Astro, Malaysia's first satellite television provider.