KUALA LUMPUR: A prolific advocate of Malay literature, Professor Emeritus Datuk Dr Mohd Taib Osman died here this morning.
The former vice-Chancellor of Universiti Malaya, where he served from 1991 to 1994, was 83.
He will be buried at the Taman Damansara cemetery after prayers at the Kolej Islam Malaya Mosque at the International Islamic University Malaysia's Petaling Jaya campus
His death was informed by a former colleague to the New Straits Times.
Taib started his career as a lecturer in the Malay Studies Department at Universiti Malaya in 1959.
Born in 1934, he earned his bachelor's degree and masters from the Universiti Malaya, Singapore, while his doctoral degree from Indiana University, United States.
Taib had also served in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation adivsory council in the field of Malay studies and Southeast Asian culture in the 1970s and early 1980s.
His works had focused on Malay literature and national cultural issues.
Among his notable publications were Adab Raja-Raja in 2006, Budaya dan Bahasa Melayu: Masalah dan Harapan and Globalisasi, Patriotisme dan Isu-isu Kemasyarakatan in 2004, Islamic civilization in the Malay world in 1997, Malay Folk beliefs: An Integration of Disparate Elements in 1989, Bunga Rampai: Aspects of Malay Culture in 1988 and Manual for collecting oral tradition: with special reference to Southeast Asia in 1982.