JOHOR BAHRU • Johor Prince Tunku Abdul Jalil Iskandar Ibrahim Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim died at the royal ward of Sultanah Aminah Hospital yesterday at 7.11pm. He was 25.
The fourth of six siblings, Tunku Abdul Jalil had been battling stage four liver cancer after being diagnosed with the illness late last year, reported The New Straits Times.
The news of his death was broken by the president of the Johor Council of the Royal Court, Datuk Abdul Rahim Ramli.
It is understood that members of the Johor royal family were at his bedside when he died.
He had undergone a liver transplant at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangdong, southern China, on Dec 10 last year.
His illness had prompted Sultan Ibrahim to set up the Tunku Laksamana Johor Cancer Foundation, which helps cancer patients in need of financial aid and treatment.
Born on July 5, 1990, Tunku Abdul Jalil was trained by the Special Action Unit of the police, and held the rank of an inspector. He was the first member of the Johor royal household to serve in the police force after undergoing training for nine months, reported The Star.
A wildlife lover, he was a volunteer zookeeper at the Singapore Zoo for a year and the London Zoo for two years. He received his early education at Sekolah Sri Utama Johor Bahru and then later at the Yayasan Pendidikan Johor Zaikarim Johor Bahru International School.
The prince held a degree in zoological and conservation studies from a university in Britain. The new mosque at the Johor police headquarters is named after him.
Condolences began to pour in following news of the death, including a tweet by Prime Minister Najib Razak, reported Malaysiakini. "Condolences on the passing of Tunku Abdul Jalil. May his soul be blessed," Datuk Seri Najib said.
Other Malaysian Cabinet members who expressed their condolences on Twitter included Defence Minister Hishamuddin Hussein, Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai and Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
A semi-state funeral will be held for Tunku Abdul Jalil today.
