Tunku Abdullah

Tunku Tan Sri Abdullah was born on 2 May 1925 at Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan. He had completed his graduation from the University of Glasgow and held a diploma in agriculture from Miyazaki University in Japan. Tunku was in the civil service and served for 10 years before getting into politics.[1]

He was the member of the Parliament of Malaysia for the Rawang constituency from 1964 to 1974. He is the subject of the books Tunku Abdullah – A Passion for Life and the 20th anniversary version, A Prince Called "Charlie".

In 1963, Tunku Tan Sri Abdullah set up the Melewar Group. He re-developed Central Market in Kuala Lumpur, preserving the heritage building which had been earmarked for demolition. He was a close friend of Tun Mahathir, Malaysia's Prime Minister.

He was married six times. In 1946, he married his cousin, Tunku Zaharah binti Tunku Zakaria by which he had 3 children. In 1959, he married Yuzin Ho, a health official attached to the Kemaman Medical and Health Office in Terengganu, who gave him another 3 children. In 1966, he married Kathryn Heather Barbara Martin who gave him a daughter. In 1973, he married the Indonesian-born ballerina Chesterina Sim-Zecha, a scion of the Lauw-Sim-Zecha family, part of the 'Cabang Atas' or Indonesia's colonial Chinese gentry. In 1991, he married Yuko Oshima, a business woman. In 1997, he married Rozeeta Ahmad Baharuddin who gave him 2 children.[2]

Tunku Tan Sri Abdullah's children are:

1. Tunku Dato' Seri Iskandar 2. Tunku Datin Marinah Ashraf 3. Tunku Dato' Kamil Ikram 4. Tunku Dato' Yaacob 5. Tunku Yahaya 6. Tunku Halim 7. Tunku Soraya Dakhlah 8. Tunku Intan Khursiah 9. Tunku Mohammad Shah

Tunku Tan Sri Abdullah died on 20 August 2008 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) clinic. He was 83 years old. He was buried at the Seri Menanti Royal Mausoleum in Seri Menanti, Negeri Sembilan.