KUANTAN: Former Star Media Group photographer Datuk Nik Naizi Husin has passed away after a brief illness.
He was 63.
Nik Naizi passed away at 11.40pm on Tuesday (Dec 27) at Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan here, where he had been hospitalised since Saturday (Dec 24) after suffering from complications caused by a heart attack earlier in the month.
He joined the company on April 1, 1982 and was transferred to its Kuantan bureau in 1995.
He retired in September 2019 but was retained on contract until March 2020.
Among his notable work as a photographer for Star Media Group was his coverage of the Kuantan bauxite mining issue in 2016 and also his pieces on tourism activities in Pahang.
In 2017, Nik Naizi picked up the grand prize in the DRB-Hicom Pahang Media Awards' English news reporting category for his story on the Start in Tioman scuba diving event.
In 2014, he was conferred the Darjah Indera Mahkota Pahang, which carries the title "Datuk", by Almarhum Paduka Ayahanda Sultan Ahmad Shah.
He was the president of Kelab Media Pahang, an organisation for media practitioners in the state, until his passing.
His son Nik Ahmad Amirul Husain, 28, described Nik Naizi as having a strict personality but said his father could also be humorous.
"He was a forgiving person and had a positive attitude. He would not hold grudges.
"Writing was part of his job while his hobby was hiking," said Nik Ahmad.
Nik Naizi was laid to rest at the Setali Muslim cemetery here on Wednesday (Dec 28).
He leaves behind his wife Datin Salma Abdul Samad, 57, four children and six grandchildren.
