His widow, Hamidah Mohamed, 57, said he died at 1.55am due to multiple organ failure.

Ahmad’s body was brought for prayers at Surau Darussalam in Kampung Stulang Bahru at 9am.

“He passed away peacefully, and the family was with him,” she told Bernama today.

“The funeral arrangements went smoothly, and he was laid to rest at the Muslim cemetery in Kampung Sungai Danga at around 11am.”

Hamidah said her husband had faced various health issues, including heart problems, hypertension and diabetes, and was admitted to hospital for water in the lungs last year.

Ahmad was appointed as the fifth governor of Bank Negara Malaysia in May 1994, succeeding Jaffar Hussein. He served as BNM governor until August 1998.

With extensive experience in finance and banking, the father of seven also served as the chief executive officer of Maybank from 1991 to 1994 and as Alliance Bank Malaysia Bhd’s chairman since 2017.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed his deep sorrow over the death of his friend.

“I pray for strength for his family during this difficult time, and may his soul be forgiven by Allah and be granted the best place by Him,” Anwar said in a Facebook post.

Ahmad’s eldest son, Shahril Hafiz, 48, said his father was brought back to their home in Kampung Stulang Bahru, Majidee, here from Kuala Lumpur at 8pm yesterday before he passed away early today.

He said his father was admitted to the ICU of a private hospital in the capital two weeks ago due to heart complications.