KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof paid his respects to the family of the late Tun Daim Zainuddin.
Fadillah extended his heartfelt condolences to Daim's wife, Toh Puan Naimah Khalid, and the bereaved family.
Fadillah acknowledged the former finance minister's contributions, despite never having served alongside him in government. "Although I have never personally served in government with him, I have followed his journey," he noted to the press outside Daim's residence.
"We pray for the best for Tun and all his family, hoping they are granted strength in facing this difficult time," he added.
Daim passed away earlier this morning at the age of 86.
The businessman-turned-politician served as finance minister from 1984 to 1991 and again from 1998 to 2001. Originally from Alor Star, Kedah, Daim also served as a Member of Parliament for five terms between 1982 and 2004.
In 1984, Dr Mahathir Mohamad appointed him finance minister, two years after he was first elected as an MP.
In 2018, Daim and other party veterans who supported Dr Mahathir in opposing then-prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak were sacked from Umno. Following the change of government, Daim led the Council of Eminent Persons, a group tasked with advising the new administration during its first 100 days.