KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 ― Lee Siew San, the former teacher to famed Malaysian cartoonist Lat and the basis of the character "Mrs Hew” in his popular comic Kampung Boy, has died at the age of 80.

Datuk Mohd Nor Khalid, who is better known as Lat, today paid his last respects along with his wife, Datin Faezah Ahmad Zanzali, to the woman who had been his strict teacher during his primary school days.

"She is actually someone who is well-loved by everyone,” the 65-year-old Perak native was quoted saying when met today by local daily Berita Harian.

According to the Malay language newspaper, Lee died in her sleep around 1.30pm yesterday at her home in Canning Garden, Ipoh.

She is survived by husband Hew Chai Kee, 87 and their three children, Alvin, 53; Belinda, 52; and Cyril, 49.

In a separate report by Berita Harian last night, Lat said he was shocked and saddened when Lee's husband called to inform of her death.

Lat said Lee had taught him English from 1962 to 1963 at the Sekolah Rendah Jenis Kebangsaan (English) Jalan Pasir Putih, but explained that she was not as depicted by his cartoon character with its iconic beehive hairdo and horn-rimmed glasses.

"I started drawing the character of Mrs Hew in the 1970s although she (Lee) did not look like what I drew; I drew it so to show her strict character but she is actually more beautiful and someone who was nice although she was very fierce.

"Actually when she was still alive, she was also proud, she told others that that person (the Mrs Hew character) is herself and said she was drawn by her former student,” Lat was quoted saying.

Alvin yesterday said the family has good ties with Lat and was proud that their mother was featured as a character in Lat's work, telling Berita Harian that she was delighted to see herself being depicted in Lat's Kampung Boy comic.

Today, Cyril recalled his late mother as being a loving but strict person who gave her three children the same discipline she meted out as a school teacher.

"That is my mother and I always told my friends that. She would discipline us all the time,” he shared, adding that all three siblings received equal treatment when being disciplined and were all given a choice of three canes of varying sizes at home.

"Love what you do and do what you love,” he said when sharing his mother's advice which he still held on to.