His death was announced by assistant state tourism minister Joniston Bangkuai on his Facebook page today.

Bangkuai told FMT that Luping, “a great man”, had done much for Sabah as a deputy chief minister with Usno and as attorney-general when PBS came to power.

He said he had visited Luping at his Kampung Likas residence here at noon today with PBS secretary-general Jahid Jahim, who is also Sabah rural development minister, and PBS supreme council member William Majimbun.

“I know him very well as he offered me a lot of advice. We appreciate his help very much so that’s why we made it a point to pay him a visit, not knowing that would be the last we would see him.

“We are gutted that he has passed but glad we had the opportunity to see him,” he said.

Luping was a member of a royal commission of inquiry set up in 2012 to look into problems relating to illegal immigrants in Sabah. The inquiry is closely related to Project IC, the alleged systematic granting of citizenship to foreigners.

He was also author of several books on Sabah politics and Sabahan culture, such as “Kadazan Tales & Legends of Penampang District” as well as “Pangazou”, a story that was adapted for film, and published a study on the major ethnic indigenous groups in Sabah.