Marina Mahathir, who is a friend of Mariana, shared the news of her death in a Facebook post.

“Last night, I lost a dear friend, Mariana Musa.

“Not many people know that Ana and I have been friends since we were children when her parents brought her and her siblings to stay with us in Alor Setar,” she said.

Marina also said she and Mariana worked at Balai Berita in the early 1980s. Mariana was with the New Straits Times while Marina was with the Her World magazine.

Marina added that she last saw Mariana in 2019 when she visited her in Oxford where she was living.

She said Mariana was also a talented artist and graphic designer.

“Dearest Ana, thank you always for the friendship.

“I shall miss you, but now you’ll be with Carlos again,” she said, referring to Mariana’s brother, who lost his life in the Highland Towers tragedy in 1993 which resulted in 48 deaths.

Musa was married to Ines Maria Reyna, a Peruvian of Spanish descent, whom he first met in Lima, Peru, in 1959 as an international student. They have three children, Mariana, Carlos Abdul Rashid and Rosana.