The chairman of Malaysia's national oil firm Petronas, Azizan Zainul Abidin, has died aged 69, the company said today.

Azizan, who was also chairperson of national carrier Malaysia Airlines, died early today at his home in the administrative capital Putrajaya after reportedly complaining of chest pains.

Azizan was appointed chairman of Petronas in 1995 after serving as president and chief executive from 1988. Before joining Petronas he was a civil servant for 28 years.

He was also the president and chief executive of Perbadanan Putrajaya, which is involved in the planning and development of Putrajaya. He was also part of the government-backed special police commission.

Petronas is on the 186th spot on the 2004 Fortune Global 500 list of the world's biggest firms, recording US$25.66 billion in revenue in 2003, the Business Times said.

Azizan leaves a wife, Noor Ainee Che Teh, and three children, Amir Hamzah, 37, Norizan, 34 and Ikhwan 25, the official Bernama news agency said.