While his children wanted him to live with them, Mr Muhamed Senin, 89, preferred to be independent, living alone in a Housing Board flat in North Bridge Road.

At about 5.30am on Saturday, he was walking to nearby Sultan Plaza where he worked as a cleaner when a falling tree branch hit and killed him. He was pronounced dead by paramedics.

One of his daughters-in-law, Madam Masnawiah Mansor, 53, said she was shocked when a family member called to inform her of Mr Muhamed's death.

"My father-in-law was very healthy. Many of us asked him to move in with us, but he liked to be independent. He was jovial and worked hard," she told The Straits Times yesterday.

Mr Muhamed, who was buried yesterday afternoon, left 13 children and more than 30 grandchildren as well as 20 great-grandchildren. They took turns to visit him almost daily. One of his daughters, who lives near him, brought him food regularly, said family members.

When his wife died in 2007, Mr Muhamed chose to remain in his North Bridge Road flat, where he had lived for more than 17 years.

"It's very sad he is gone," Madam Masnawiah said.

After the burial, family members met Jalan Besar GRC MP and Central Singapore District Mayor Denise Phua at Mr Muhamed's flat.

Ms Phua later told ST: "We will render any assistance the family needs. It is unfortunate that such an incident has happened, the first time in our GRC."

She added: "Because there are many elderly residents in the area, I have asked the Jalan Besar Town Council for a faster and more aggressive push to make sure all the areas are safe, and the trees are removed if they are not deemed to be safe."

The town council, which oversees the area, said the tree in the incident was inspected by an arborist last December, along with other trees in the estate. The next inspection is scheduled for June.

The town council said on Facebook on Saturday, following the incident, that there is "an active horticulture maintenance programme" in place.

Trees in the town are inspected by an arborist every six months, and major pruning is carried out where necessary, it said. General maintenance is carried out once a month, on top of the half-yearly programme, it added.

In February last year, a 40m-tall Tembusu tree fell at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, killing a 38-year-old female Indian national and injuring four others.