KOTA KINABALU, Aug 3 ― The family of the late Datuk Mahadzir Lokman has arrived here today to claim his body after news of the Malaysian TV icon’s death broke this morning.

His younger sister, Ida Lokman, arrived at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital along with another relative at about 5.40pm after flying in from Kuala Lumpur and was received with hugs by friends of the late Mahadzir.

They spent about an hour with the doctors and discussed the possibility of flying him back tonight.

At 6.30pm, the body was sent to the state mosque to be prepared to be flown back.

Mahadzir arrived in Kota Kinabalu on July 31 and is believed to have an event here in the next couple of days.

This morning at about 10am, he was found dead in his hotel room at the Shangri La Tanjung Aru Resort. Police said no foul play was suspected and classified the incident as sudden death.

Friends of Mahadzir who were at the hospital said that when they initially received news of his death from mutual friends, they thought it was a hoax.

“At the time there wasn’t any information as to what happened but his brother was informed by the hotel but didn’t know where they brought the body,” said Audra Webber.

Mahadzir had attended secondary school in Maktab Sabah with former chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman and former Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun among others.

He had spent several formative years here, where his late father served as education minister and over the years have maintained a circle of friends here who he would meet up with when he visited.

“We were supposed to meet up some time during his trip here but I guess that’s not possible now,” said Webber.

She described him as a very happy and jovial person who felt at home in Sabah as well as in the busy Kuala Lumpur.

“This was his second home, and he has a big group of friends here who he would always meet up with whenever he came here.

“He loves the seafood here, and the lifestyle here,” she said.

“We aren’t aware of any chronic health issues, but he had previously been hospitalised for hypertension and high blood pressure,” she added.

Mahadzir’s body is expected to be flown back tonight for burial in his hometown of Johor Baru.