KUALA LUMPUR: Alita Aris, the ex-wife of former journalist of TV3's Melodi programme, Muhammad Zamzuri Zaini or Ayau has described the passing of her late ex-husband and mother as a great loss.
She said that the two had shared a close bond.
"It was the day I buried my mother and my ex-husband. He and my mother were indeed close. Both of them were diabetes patients, so they shared a lot about medication, and recently, he bought honey for Ayau. He told Ayau to consume it.
"My late mother passed away due to a heart attack as well. She had a fever for a week, then only decided to go to the hospital. Once at the hospital, she was okay, and suddenly her heart stopped on Saturday," she told Harian Metro.
Sharing about Zamzuri's passing, Alita said her ex-husband collapsed while at Masjid Al Mujahideen, Damansara Utama, and at that time, Alita was bathing her mother's body.
"While I was bathing my mother's body, my uncle called me out and informed me that Zam fainted. I immediately ran out and saw a crowd gathering. Some were assisting with CPR as well. There were many because everyone was waiting for the funeral prayer.
"They called for an ambulance, but it took quite some time. Meanwhile, some family members made video calls with a doctor who guided them on how to perform CPR.
"I asked my child to assist his father in reciting prayers, then I took over. After that, I contacted his family. Then, because the ambulance took too long, we decided to take him directly to the hospital," she said.
Alita added that the doctors tried their best to save Zamzuri, but their efforts for nearly 20 minutes were unsuccessful.
"I was in the car with my child, I saw his ears turning blue. But I continued reciting prayers. When we reached the emergency unit, the doctors took over, and five minutes later, the doctor came out and informed us that his heart had stopped when we arrived at the hospital. But they would still try for 20 minutes.
"Indeed, after almost 20 minutes, there was nothing more they could do. Right from the mosque, he was sitting on a chair, and when he fainted and fell, that was the moment. He passed away beside his son," she said.
Sharing about their relationship after divorce, Alita said they remained friends and sometimes went out together with their child.
"We are still on good terms and sometimes go out with our child. He had a history of heart disease and kidney problems, and recently his vision started to deteriorate due to diabetes. One eye is completely blind, and the other is becoming increasingly blind.
"He seemed depressed because this situation prevented him from going out, taking the train to see his child because we live separately. He always wanted to go see his child, but his health condition limited his movements.
"Since the Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) in 2022, he hasn't been working until now. He has gone through a lot of trials," she said.
The funeral prayers were conducted at Masjid Nurul Hidayah Kampung Pandan Dalam before being taken to Tanah Perkuburan Islam Ukay Perdana, Kuala Lumpur for burial at 4.57 pm today.
Earlier, Rogayah's body was buried at Tanah Perkuburan Islam Seksyen 9 Kota Damansara in the morning.
The late Zamzuri leaves behind a son, Muhamad Asyraaf Ziyad Muhamad Zamzuri, 12, from his second marriage to his ex-wife, Alita Aris, in 2011, and divorced in 2019.
Zamzuri had once won an award for the Best Programme category through the programme Anugerah Juara Lagu 31 at the 2017 Anugerah Skrin event.