National laureate Usman Awang was a poet of eminence whose demise will be a great loss to the nation, mourned friends and admirers who attended his funeral in Kampung Tunku, Petaling Jaya today.

Fellow poet, A Samad Said characterised Usman as a "kind-hearted man who has made invaluable contribution to Malaysian literature throughout his life".

"Usman's death is a great loss to the country and for myself," said Samad.

According to Samad, Usman's work surpassed local boundaries and was recognised internationally.

His works which covered a wide range of topics including politics have been translated into several languages such as English, Russian, Chinese, Tamil, Italian, French, Thai, Japanese, Korean and Danish.

'Fine gentleman'

PRM President Dr Syed Husin remembers Usman as a "fine gentleman who was always understanding and forgiving".

"Through his work, he has been able to express many of his ideas, particularly his belief in social justice and ethnic harmony," he said.

Syed Husin first met the poet in 1956, while the former was studying at University Malaya in Singapore. Usman was then a journalist working with the Utusan Melayu daily which was also based in Singapore.

The two, later moved into the same neighbourhood upon returning to Malaysia, and became close friends. "I even had my wedding in his house," said Syed Husin.

Meanwhile, Umno vice-president Muhammad Muhammad Taib also described the laureate's death as an immense loss, adding that he was a great inspiration to many people.

"Young poets should emulate his efforts to further enhance their contribution to the betterment of this country," he said

Usman passed away at the Pantai Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur this morning due to heart failure.

The 72-year-old laureate has previously served as an editor with the Jawi-newspaper Utusan Zaman and a Malay magazine Mastika . He later became the editor of another Malay magazine called Dewan Masyarakat .

Also present at the funeral were Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Director-General Aziz Deraman, Utusan Malaysia Executive Chairman Kamarul Ariffin and former Internal Security Act detainee and Utusan Melayu editor-in-chief Said Zahari.