Penang Cartoonist Azmi Hussin Dies From Heart Attack

GEORGE TOWN, March 6 (Bernama) -- Renowned Penang-born cartoonist Mohd Azmi Mohd Hussin, better known as Azmi Hussin, passed away yesterday due to a heart attack.

Azmi, 41, also known as ME, took his last breath after complaining of chest pain and exhaustion upon returning home from the Ramadan bazaar in Paya Terubong with his wife and child.

His close friend, Mohamed Rizwan Abdul Ghafoor Khan, 42, said Azmi’s wife immediately rushed him to Penang Hospital (HPP) after he lost consciousness.

Doctors confirmed that Azmi had passed away before arriving at the hospital and the cause of death was a heart attack.

“The post-mortem was completed around 11 am, and his body was then bathed and shrouded at the HPP Forensic Medicine Department,” he said when contacted today.

Azmi was laid to rest at the Masjid Hashim Yahya Muslim cemetery on Jalan Perak, here, after Zohor prayer. He is survived by his wife and three children.

Meanwhile, State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hong Wai extended condolences on behalf of the Penang State Museum and Art Gallery staff, saying that Azmi’s passing was a great loss to the art industry.

He said Azmi was a versatile caricature artist who frequently participated in exhibitions organised by the Penang State Art Gallery, including the Penang Open Art Exhibition, Belang, Langur, and Mergastua.

“He was known for his unique drawing style, often depicting the daily lives of Malaysians, especially in Penang,” he said.

During his lifetime, the Butterworth-born cartoonist gained recognition for his Tanjong Life! comic series and held three records in the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR). 

He began his career as a street caricature artist at the age of 29, with his greatest achievement being the release of his second comic book, The Little Mamak, in 2016, which was listed among Malaysia’s 50 best books by the National Book Council.

He was also awarded the Pekomik Kembara award in 2018 and the Penang Cartoonist Figure award in 2021. His final work, a comic titled Tanjong Life: Back to the 90’s, was published in 2022.

-- BERNAMA