According to Bernama, the King and Queen also expressed sadness over the passing, and hoped that the renowned academician’s family members remained patient and resilient during this difficult time.

“Their Majesties are very appreciative of his (Ungku Aziz’s) devotion and service to the community and the country. Their Majesties also consider his passing as a great loss to the nation,” the news agency reported.

Bernama also reported that the Queen later paid her last respects to Ungku Aziz at Masjid At-Taqwa, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, here tonight.

She arrived at the mosque at about 8pm.

Tunku Azizah also spent some time with the family of Ungku Aziz.

Also seen at the mosque was Ungku Aziz’s daughter, Zeti Akhtar, the former Bank Negara governor, who is now Permodalan Nasional Berhad chairman.

The renowned academician was later buried at the Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery.

Earlier, a spokesman of Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (Angkasa) said the death of Ungku Aziz was confirmed by his wife, Rahaiah Baheran, who is also a former vice-president of Angkasa.

He was 98.

Ungku Aziz was born in London on Jan 28, 1922.

Apart from the King and Queen, politicians from both sides of the political divide also paid tribute to Ungku Aziz.

They included Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who described Ungku Aziz’s death as “a huge loss to the nation”, and Senior Minister for Education Radzi Jidin, who said Ungku Aziz had contributed immensely to the country, especially in the field of education.

Meanwhile, PKR president Anwar Ibrahim said he was confident Ungku Aziz’s contribution to the nation will be remembered by the people and the country.