KUALA LUMPUR: Controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin died last night in the United Kingdom (UK) at the age of 74.
His death was confirmed by his brother, Raja Idris, this morning, according to the FMT news portal.
"With great sadness, I inform you that my beloved younger brother, Raja Petra Kamarudin, has just passed away at 11.26pm UK time on Monday (Sept 9) in Manchester," he said in a brief text to FMT.
Meanwhile, his wife, Marina Lee Abdullah in a Facebook post confirmed Raja Petra's death was due to a blood infection to his lungs and later his liver.
"May Allah place him among the faithful and the pious. Amin," she said in a posting on Malaysia Today's Facebook.
Marina added that details of the funeral arrangements would be updated later on.
Raja Petra, better known as RPK, was born on Sept 27, 1950.
He ran Malaysia Today's website, publishing commentary and articles on Malaysian politics that often sparked controversy.
Raja Petra authored several books on Malaysian politics, including The Silent Roar: A Decade of Change in Malaysia, and The Corridors of Power, providing readers with critical insights into Malaysia's political landscape.
His writings often covered the alleged misuse of power, corruption, and injustices.
However, his sharp criticisms also landed him in hot water.
On Apr 11, 2001, Raja Petra and ten other opposition activists were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for allegedly plotting to overthrow then-prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He was released 52 days later.
In 2008, he was again detained under the ISA for his articles that allegedly insulted Islam and caused confusion among the people.
He was held without trial at the Kamunting Detention Centre in Perak, which had 60 ISA detainees, mostly suspected Islamic extremists.
The detention sparked outrage among human rights activists and prompted numerous calls for his release.
Before his passing Raja Petra continued to post on his blog, with his last video posted on Sept 7.
In the video, he highlighted His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia's warning to withdraw the federal awards, medals and honours of recipients who commit crimes.
He cited the example of convicts still being addressed with honorific titles while in prison, saying, "It's shameful for someone who has committed a crime to retain such titles. If you misbehave, you will be named and shamed."
His last video reflected his ongoing commitment to highlighting social and political issues.