Najib, who arrived at the late Abdullah’s residence at Jalan U-Thant, here at 5.15pm, was greeted by Abdullah’s family members.

Speaking to reporters before leaving the residence, the Prime Minister described Abdullah’s passing as a great loss for him and his family.

Abdullah was a former political secretary to Najib’s father, the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, the country’s second prime minister.

“It is a loss that affects me deeply as a son of the late Tun Razak. Tan Sri (Abdullah) was certainly very close to my late father in terms of work as well as personally because much had been done during the time of my late father to carry out certain tasks.

“So it is a loss that can be felt by both families because the two families have been close from before. I am deeply saddened and hope that his deeds and contributions can be appreciated,” he said.

Abdullah, 79, died at 1.15pm yesterday at a private hospital here due to cancer.

He will be laid to rest at the Masjid Ayesha Muslim Cemetery in Kok Lanas, Kelantan, this morning.

– BERNAMA