Utusan Malaysia reported that the former TV3 news presenter died at a hotel in Kota Kinabalu.

According to a police report sighted by FMT, Mahadzir was vacationing in Sabah with a friend and her family.

When he failed to answer her calls, she had the hotel staff open his room door and found him unconscious.

Mahadzir was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Last year, he was warded at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) for kidney and lung complications.

Mahadzir, the son of a diplomat, was well known for his linguistic skills and was fluent in French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese.

He was frequently the host at official government events, including the annual international Quran recital competition held in Kuala Lumpur.