Your memories of the Malaysian King

Thousands of people turned out on Thursday to pay their last respects to Malaysia's king Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah.

The king, who died on Wednesday at the age of 75, is widely credited as being a man of the people who championed the arts, healthcare and the rights of Malaysia's poor. He was also reputedly a man of simple hobbies such as gardening and rearing wild birds.

Before his coronation as Malaysia's 11th king in 1999, the sultan led his home state of Selangor for more than 40 years.

What are your memories of the king? Did he affect your life? Will you, like Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, miss him?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

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Your reaction

His Majesty has been a great and caring monarch. His Majesty will always be remembered and respected even though His Majesty is no more with us. My sincere condolence to Tuanku Siti Aishah and the Selangor royal family. May the God bless the soul of AlMarhum.
Thanaselan, Selangor, Malaysia

My heart goes out to all Malaysians and especially to the family of the late King. I had the priviledge of knowing the Queen, Tuanku Siti Aishah during her semester at UiTM in Kelantan and she is a just a beautiful person, inside and out. I hope that she is comforted by the knowledge that the late King was so very loved and respected by his subjects.
Elyna Mansor, U.S.A.

He did away with protocol and treated us as equals

Jaime, UK

Though I am so far away from home, I feel the great loss of my Yang Di-Pertuan Agong. If anyone were to ask me why Sultan Salahuddin was a great king I can tell you without a shadow of doubt it was because he never thought himself as one. He did away with protocol and treated us as equals. In return the people of Malaysia loved and cherished him dearly. Will I miss him? We all will.
Jaime, UK

The late king is one of the best in my heart. Farewell, and we will always love you.
Georgeleong, Malaysia

Deepest sympathy from your neighbour country for the people of Malaysia.
Ary Prasetyo, Indonesia

I think all over Malaysia people are very sad

Dzieda, Malaysia

I never knew a king like him that cared so much about people - but never cared about their attitude or status. I think all over Malaysia people are very sad about this. May Allah bless him. Al-Fatihah.
Dzieda, Malaysia

The late King will always be in our heart!
Shafinas, Malaysia

He has been a good king. People always loved to see the King and Queen together in every function for the past 3 years as if there is a magical attraction in their appearances. I will truly miss the King, and the best thing we can do now is to recite Al-fatihah for him. May Allah bless his soul in hereafter.
Ibrahim, Malaysia

He was the people's King

A. Reezal, Malaysia

The first and the only time I met the King was at a celebration in London held at the Malaysian High Commissioner's Residence. He came up to me and asked where I am from and what was I studying in Britain. That kind of warmth and laid-back charm you can rarely find in a royalty. He was talking to me as a person and not as his subject. He was the people's King.
A. Reezal, Malaysia

He was a very caring King who was also close to his subjects. He will be missed and remembered for a very long time. May Allah bless his soul.
Nurul Ashikin Adnan, Malaysia

The King's death is a great loss to all Malaysians. The people still longed for his attention on issues concerning social, religion, unity and poverty. From my point of view, he was a very sociable King. That's why it is so sad, and still quite a shock that he has passed away.
Reezal Romley, Malaysia

We thank God for his life

D.R. Samuel Jones, Malaysia

It is just a fitting tribute to bid farewell to the King on ThanksGiving Day. We thank God for his life. As an expatriate in this country for 6 years, I have observed on many occasions the Late King visiting even remote places to meet common folks. At the same time, he would take time to visit "shrines of the modern world" - like universities, world class factories, research and development institutions etc.

God Bless Malaysia. We will always carry fond memories of this country and the Benevolent King.
D.R. Samuel Jones, Malaysia

I would like to express our grief at the loss of a great king who was close to his people. May God bless His Majesty's Soul.
Thesigan Nadarajan, Malaysia

I met the late king only once but it was enough for an everlasting memory of the humble and loving king. The school choir performed at the Istana Alam Shah in Klang in 1997. When the king came to shake our hands, a brave soul asked for the honour to take photographs with him and the friendly king was more than happy to oblige. At that time, Queen Siti Aishah had not yet been formally accepted by the 'rakyat'.

Together with the feeling of excitement that overtook us, nobody remembered the courtesy to ask the queen to grace the photos with her presence and she was thus left standing aside. Almost instinctively, the king turned around and very politely asked our permission if the queen could join in the photos, ¿Cik Puan boleh ambil bersama?¿ And I thought that was the most romantic and gallant thing to do. It showed how much the humble king feels he¿s the same as everyone else having to say ¿May I?¿ and ¿Please?¿ and how much he loved and valued his queen and family. He was certainly the king with people¿s heart and will continue to be in our memories.
Hannah Heng, Malaysia

It is a great blessing for Malaysians to have been touched by a monarch who was kind, jovial and constantly beaming with uncommon sincerity

V, Ravindran, Malaysia

In this age of cruel and power- crazy individuals bent on unleashing mayhem and destruction it is indeed a great blessing for Malaysians to have been touched by a monarch who was kind, jovial and constantly beaming with uncommon sincerity in the midst of common people. May God Bless the King.
V, Ravindran, Malaysia

For as long as I could remember, Sultan Salahuddin had always been my 'king'. Growing up in the royal town of Klang, his presence was always felt whenever his birthday celebrations were held at the Istana Alam Shah, Klang. He gifted my late grandma with the Royal Selangor Crescent 'kerongsang' or brooch which she wore at every Raya/Eid celebration till the day she died. I shed some tears over his death; what with being so far away from home. His 'rakyat' shall miss him deeply.
Ida Bahar, Nottingham, UK

The late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Syah was a great and popular leader among the Malaysian nation. His spontaneous, caring and down-to-earth personality will be deeply missed by all of us.
Raina Radzaif, Malaysia

I was really sad when I heard the news. He was such a caring king and I can see him visiting people and places all the time. May he rest in peace.
R. Murthy, Malaysia

I could see that the people of Malaysia loved the king very much

J, Malaysia

I could see that the people of Malaysia loved the king very much, especially when a large crowd of people came and gave their last respects to the king although it was during the Ramadhan month and the blistering heat.
J, Malaysia

The King Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah was such a People Hearted person with a very down to earth characteristic that made him a very respected King.
Abbyamir Sapie, Malaysia

Farewell, our beloved Agong. May Allah bless His Majesty's soul. We will miss you.
Mohd Kamal Haslin, Malaysia

May God shower his late Majesty with his grace and mercy

Md. Riyadh Dahalan, Malaysia

Not until he was dead have I felt so attached to his late Majesty. He has indeed upheld the sanctity of the Malaysian monarchy system so that at times of political uncertainty we know who we can turn to. May God shower his late Majesty with his grace and mercy. The King is dead, long live the King.
Md. Riyadh Dahalan, Malaysia

A straightforward monarch blessed with the common touch, the Sultan of Selangor was one of the few who stood up to the dictatorial whims of Dr Mahathir, back in 1993 when the PM ultimately succeeded in limiting even more the powers of the king. A pity that he's gone, like his father in the middle of his 5-year reign.
Ramat Kamdar, Malaysia

The rapid development of Selangor into one of Malaysia's most modern states owes a lot to the Sultan's dedication. He was a firm believer in Dr Mahathir's capabilities, but at the same time provided critical feedback. He will be sorely missed.
W Lee, Malaysia

The late King has been a very caring, helpful and friendly monarch

Prashanth Menon, Malaysia

The late King has been a very caring, helpful and friendly monarch. His death was a very great loss to Malaysia. We will miss him...
Prashanth Menon, Malaysia

I've never been privileged to meet the King but I've heard many good things about him from those who've met him, including his not hesitating to skip over protocol to meet his subjects. That, I think, is one of the coolest aspects of our loving King. He will be sorely missed.
Anthony Sivabalan, Malaysia

May God Bless His Majesty's Soul.
Chiau Shis Sun, Malaysia