His family confirmed his death in a brief post on his Facebook page.

“It is with great sadness that the family of beloved Salleh Ben Joned inform of his passing this Thursday Oct 29 at 1.21am from heart failure,” it said.

The post said Salleh had experienced breathing difficulties at his home in Subang Jaya on Tuesday and was admitted to University Malaya Medical Centre for treatment before his death.

It said that because of the lockdown restrictions, only close relatives will be allowed for the prayers and burial.

Salleh, acknowledged among his peers for his non-conformity to traditional writing styles, was best known for publishing works written both in Malay and English. He had also starred in several films.

After furthering his studies in Australia, Salleh returned to Malaysia in 1973 to work at the English Department of the University of Malaya until 1983, when he resigned to become a freelance writer.

His works often incorporated graphic sexuality, which was disapproved by critics of his time. His first collection of poetry, called “Sajak-Sajak Salleh/Poems Sacred and Profane”, written both in Malay and English, was published in 1987.

A strong advocate for works in English to be part of the local literature scene, Salleh had protested against the move to recognise Bahasa Malaysia as the national language and medium for Malaysian literature during the 1980s, and the National Cultural Policy, which only awarded local works written in Malay.