KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 (Bernama) -- National journalism laureate and freedom fighter Tan Sri A. Samad Ismail who died Thursday will be buried at the Bukit Kiara Muslim cemetery in Section 16, Petaling Jaya after Friday prayers.

Singapore-born Samad, 84, better known as Pak Samad, died at the Pantai Medical Centre at 5.58pm of lung infection. He had been admitted to the hospital on Aug 24 after experiencing breathing difficulties.

"I was prepared for this. The doctors tried their best to save him. My family prays to God for Him to shower his blessings on my father," said his sixth child, Nuraina, when met at the family's home here Thursday night.

Nuraina said her step-mother Puan Sri Habibah Hamid and her youngest sister Nur Azrina, 38, were at Pak Samad's bedside when he breathed his last.

"We will miss him dearly because he was a great conversationist," she said, adding that his telling Nur Azrina to call all his children to visit him at home three weeks ago could have been an omen of his impending death.

She said her father had also insisted that his book collection be looked after well and not removed from the house.

Nuraina also thanked the doctors at the hospital for their dedication in caring for her father while he was there.

Meanwhile, well-known compere, Mahadzir Lokman, who was tutored by Pak Samad during his journalism career at TV3, said Pak Samad was a "no-nonsense" teacher when he was the editorial advisor of the TV station.

"But to compensate for his strictness, Pak Samad had a great sense of humour.

"I had been scolded a number of times by him and even had copies of my news reports flung in my face, but I took it all in good stride because it has made me a better journalist," he said.

Pak Samad leaves behind wife Puan Sri Habibah Hamid and 10 children, two of whom, Nuraina and Maria, are ex-journalists and now run their own blogs.

His first wife Hamidah Hassan died on June 2, 1990.

-- BERNAMA