His daughter, Zurina, 54, said Zulkarnain, who suffered from heart disease, complained of chest pain on Saturday morning.

“At first he refused to go to the hospital but we managed to persuade him to go to hospital.

“He was then placed at the coronary care unit but died at 11.30am today,” she told reporters at the Al-Hidayah Mosque in Kelana Jaya here.

Zurina said her father also suffered a heart attack but his condition was stable before developing fever yesterday.

She said her father, who started his career in 1959, was among the first batch of Radio Malaya presenters. His last position in the national broadcasting station was as head of RTM Radio’s sports division before retiring in 1993.

The funeral prayer service was held at the Al-Hidayah Mosque and he was laid to rest at the Section 9 Muslim Cemetery in Kota Damansara.

Zulkarnain is survived by his wife, Sabariah Ibrahim, 79, and two children.

Meanwhile, a former colleague described him as a dedicated person who was never stingy with his knowledge and a good leader.

Abdullah Hasim, 68, said Zulkarnain, fondly known as “Cucuk Hassan”, was his mentor who always gave him good advice during work.

Veteran sports presenter Rahim Razali, 81, described the late Zulkarnain as among the best sports commentators in the country.

“I have many fond memories of working with him. The most memorable experience was during the Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea in 1988,” he said.

The Sports Writers Association of Malaysia (SAM) extended its condolences to the family of the respected figure who previously served as a SAM exco member.

Its president Jasni Shafie described the death of Zulkarnain as a great loss to SAM as his contributions to sports journalism in the country was invaluable.

“We will always remember him as the commentator during the glorious and historic day when our national football team qualified for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow after beating South Korea at the Merdeka Stadium,” he added.