Veteran television personality Jamal Muhamad, who was synonymous with the name ‘Pak Cik Jamal’, died at Putrajaya Hospital today.

Jamal, 75 ( right ), left behind wife Zainab Serat, 67, and three children.

His daughter Sheila said her father died at the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital at 11am, after being admitted with breathing difficulties yesterday.

Pak Cik Jamal had been admitted several times to the hospital, prior to this, for complications of the heart and lungs and spinal problems.

Jamal was a popular television personality with the character of a speaker through the 'Mini Parlimen' programme produced by Radio-Television Malaysia in the 1980s.

Sheila said her father’s remains would be taken to the Jameatussolehah Mosquec in Pekan Dengkil for funeral rites.

Jamal also suffered breathing problems, said to be due to ‘ankylosing spondylitis’ which he suffered about 14 years ago resulting in his spinal column being bent and this affected his lungs as well.

In early January, Communications and Multimedia Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek visited Jamal, also known as ‘Jamal Kerdil’, in his house at Kampung Selangor Dredging, when he was ill.

During the visit, Ahmad Shabery said Jamal’s contribution to the Malaysian broadcasting field was most valuable to the country because the programme ‘Mini Parlimen’ had strongly influenced the thinking of children then.

Another programme that helped Jamal to become an icon among children was ‘Taman Kanak-kanak’, which was first broadcast in 1961, and he also produced the programmes ‘Pesta Pop’ and ‘Pentas Aneka’.

- Bernama