Businessman Ben Goi, son of Popiah King Sam Goi, died in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday morning (Feb 3) of a stroke with a brain haemorrhage.
This was confirmed by Ms Goi Lan Ling, the younger of Mr Ben Goi's two older sisters, when she spoke to Chinese-language evening daily Shin Min Daily News at his wake on Tuesday afternoon.
Mr Goi, 43, also had one older brother.
He married Malaysian-born former television actress Tracy Lee, 33, in 2017. Their son was born last year.
Ms Goi told Shin Min that Mr Goi had gone to Kuala Lumpur about a week earlier with his wife, son and maid to visit his wife's family for Chinese New Year.
They were due to return to Singapore on Sunday afternoon.
Last Saturday night, Mr Goi made a video call to Ms Goi and other family members in Singapore and shared with them pictures of the Chinese New Year decorations in the Malaysian capital.
"We talked happily, and he looked normal," said Ms Goi.
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Haemorrhagic strokes
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A stroke occurs when blood supply to the brain is interrupted, resulting in brain damage.
One type, known as an ischaemic stroke, occurs when blood flow is blocked, typically by a clot forming in a vessel. This is responsible for about 80 per cent of strokes.
A less common but more serious type of stroke is known as haemorrhagic stroke, which results in bleeding in the brain, or a brain haemorrhage. This makes up 10 per cent to 20 per cent of strokes.
It is caused by the rupture of a blood vessel in the brain, typically an artery, leading to blood leakage. The main causes of such strokes are high blood pressure and structural problems in the blood vessels of the brain, which can be congenital.
Haemorrhagic strokes can occur any time without associated risks. This is often the result of an aneurysm, which refers to an artery wall becoming weakened and creating a bulge.
Rei Kurohi
However, Mr Goi suffered from an intense headache later that night, and he asked his wife to call an ambulance.
They waited for a public ambulance, but later called a private one.
After being taken to hospital, the doctors worked to save him, but he died at 4am on Sunday, said Ms Goi.
The name of the hospital was not revealed in Shin Min's report.
Ms Goi added that at about 3am on Sunday, Ms Lee had called Mr Goi's family to notify them of the situation.
Mr Goi's parents took the earliest flight they could to reach the hospital, but were unable to see him alive for the last time.
Shin Min also spoke to Mr Goi's father, Mr Sam Goi, who was emotional when interviewed.
The older Mr Goi said he hoped that when he woke up, he would find that it had all been a bad dream.
"I have lost my beloved son. This is a pain in my heart that will never be able to heal," he said, with tears in his eyes.
"No one could have expected this to happen. It can't be blamed on anyone. This is just his fate then," he said.
The older Mr Goi said his son was obedient and filial, as well as humble, generous and friendly.
Ms Goi said Mr Ben Goi and his family had planned to return to Singapore on Sunday afternoon, ahead of their reunion dinner on Monday and other Chinese New Year festivities.
She said her brother had high blood pressure and hereditary asthma, but did not have issues with day-to-day activities.
She also told Shin Min that he had been looking forward to celebrating his son's first birthday this Saturday.
She added that as things had happened so unexpectedly, Ms Lee had been quite emotional, so the whole family had been helping to take care of the baby.
