Habib Jewels founder dies

GEORGE TOWN: The founder of Habib Jewels, Datuk Habib Mohamed, died yesterday at the age of 92 after being in comatose for two weeks due to a fall.

His son, Datuk Seri Meer Sadiq Habib, 55, the fourth of five siblings, said his father breathed his last about 4.30am at the Gleneagles Hospital here.

“My father fell in the toilet in his house and was in coma because of some bleeding in the head,” he said when met at Habib’s house at Jalan Pinhorn here.

He said the remains would be taken to Masjid Kapitan Keling here for funeral prayer and then buried at the Jalan Perak Muslim Cemetery after the Zuhur prayer.

Meer Sadiq, who is Habib Jewels managing director, regarded his father’s death as a big loss to the family and also to the society for his contributions in the jewellery business.

He said his father was a friendly man and good at making jokes.

Meanwhile, Habib’s grandson, Mohamed Shamir Hameed, 34, said his grandfather was an inspiration for others to succeed.

“He started from scratch, with nothing, but was able to build a jewellery business which now is known internationally,” he said, adding that his grandfather used to work as a canteen boy, newspaper boy and a shop attendant .

He described Habib as a generous man who liked to feed and help the needy. Habib leaves five children, nine grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

His wife, Ummul Latifah , died in 2007. — Bernama