His daughter, Sharon Armstrong, said he died of cancer.

“We found out about my father’s cancer this year. His death was quite shocking,” she said when contacted by Bernama today.

Sharon said a three-day wake would be held at St Ignatius Church in Petaling Jaya beginning tomorrow. His remains will be cremated at the Petaling Jaya City Council crematorium in Kg Tunku on Tuesday.

Apart from being a sprint coach, Leslie also served as president of the Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur Athletics Association.

Olympic Council of Malaysia vice-president Mumtaz Jaafar, who was one of Leslie’s trainees, said his passing was a great loss to the nation’s sports scene.

“He was one of the coaches of the national sprint squad at that time. He was very gentle and focused, he knew what he was doing and had excellent coaching experience.

“He was a very humble person and an effective coach,” she said.

Former national men’s 400m champion K Jayabalan described Leslie as a kind individual who was well-known among national athletes at that time.