Kuala Lumpur: Veteran journalist and one of Malaysia’s earliest female editors, Fauziah Rauf, died at Selayang Hospital early today. She was 81.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, her youngest son, Firhat Yasir Omar Sudi, when met at the family residence in Bandar Baru Selayang, said his mother died at around 1 am due to a brain haemorrhage. He mentioned that Fauziah’s remains would be taken to the Selayang Baru Mosque for cleansing and shrouding and funeral prayers before being laid to rest at the Selayang Baru Muslim Cemetery after Zohor prayers.

Fauziah was the founder of the Malaysian Entertainment Writers and Journalists Association (WHAM) and was a recipient of the Kasih@HAWANA Fund in 2023. She had previously been honoured with the Entertainment Journalism Icon Award at the Malaysian Film Industry Journalism Awards (AKIFMA) in 2017, organised by WHAM and the National Film Development Corporation (FINAS).

With over two decades of experience at Utusan Malaysia, Fauziah was also a pioneering figure and the first Malaysian woman to publish newspapers and magazines such as ‘Mingguan Famili’, ‘Pentas Dunia’, and ‘Hawa’ during the 1980s.