His wife, Zaliha Zaman, said Rahman died this morning. “For the past two days, he declined to eat much, and today he looked quite tired before we called the doctor to treat him. However, he passed away before the doctor arrived.”

Rahman suffered a stroke in 2010 and had been living with its after-effects since then, she said.

He was buried at the Syed Yahya Muslim cemetery in Dungun this evening.

Rahman began his career as a journalist at Bernama in the early ’70s, and rose to become executive editor in 2006.

Colleagues remember ‘Roger’

Rahman, better known as “Roger” to friends and colleagues, was described by fellow Bernama staff as a strict editor and leader and a no-nonsense person.

The agency’s CEO, Roslan Ariffin, said he learnt a lot from Rahman when he began his career in journalism: “He taught me a lot, especially in matters of discipline and work focus, because he was very serious in carrying out the trust and responsibility given to him.”

Bernama editor-in-chief Jamaluddin Muhammad said Rahman was highly capable, efficient with high integrity, while special projects editor M Govind Nair said he was a no-nonsense individual who believed in giving his best to the job and a dear friend who would go out of his way to help colleagues and friends.