Family Taib wed 18-year-old Laila Taib, a Polish Muslim of
Lipka Tatar origin, at South Australia's Adelaide mosque on 13 January 1959. On 29 April 2009, Taib's wife Laila died of cancer. She was buried at the Demak Jaya cemetery in Kuching the following day. Taib's mother Hajah Hamidah Yakub died in Normah Specialist Medical Centre, Kuching due to old age at 90 years old when Taib Mahmud was hospitalised in Singapore and underwent surgery to remove a suspected cancerous lump in his colon on 11 January 2006. Taib's son Sulaiman Abdul Rahman was married to Anisa, who is the daughter of Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak
Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam. His daughter, Jamilah Taib Murray and husband Sean Murray are involved in
Sakto property development in
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. In 2009, Taib's four-year-old granddaughter Celestia Lulua Mahmud Abu Bekir died two days after slipping into the swimming pool at her home at Duta Nusantara Condominium in
Kuala Lumpur. On 18 December 2010, at the age of 74, he married again for the second time to Ragad Waleed Alkurdi, a Syrian-born woman and widow in her early 30s; however the wedding ceremony was held in private, attended only by his family members and 200 invited guests. On 8 January 2011, he was seen together with his new wife, attending a wedding reception of a former MP in Kuala Lumpur. Both held a wedding reception sometime in the middle of January, and the reception was held at the New Sarawak State Legislative Building Complex. In 2016, the National Registration Department (NRD) was questioned for their decision to speed up Ragad Waleed Alkurdi's citizenship approval in an absurd 'record' time of just six years, while permanent residents and undocumented Sarawak natives normally would have waited for decades for the same privilege. In 2018, Ragad Kurdi Taib, along with her two children from her first marriage, were fast-tracked into fully fledged
Melanaus and accorded native Bumiputera status in the state, leading to many Sarawakians' outrage. In November 2023, Taib was named as a defendant in a suit brought by his sons against Ragad. The suit is regarding Taib's transfer of CMSB shares to Ragad.
Wealth . Taib owned a mansion in Demak Jaya which overlooks the Sarawak River. According to photos in the July to December 2006 newsletter of Naim Cendera Holdings Bhd, Taib's living room was decorated with gilt-edged European-style sofa sets. an avid collector of Southeast Asian
betel nut paraphernalia. Taib's daughter Jamilah and family members have been establishing real property estates in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Taib Mahmud admitted that his daughter owns properties in Canada and London but he denied that he had any business interests in his daughter's properties.
Bruno Manser Fonds has since disclosed that Taib and his immediate family (his children, siblings and cousin Hamed Sepawi) have shares in more than 330 companies in Malaysia alone and more than 400 companies in total around the globe worth several billion US dollars. In September 2012, Bruno Manser Fonds estimated that Taib Mahmud's net worth was at least 15 billion US dollars. The United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Germany have since opened investigations on Taib Mahmud's wealth.
Hobbies and interests In Taib's early days of studying in Australia, he was fond of wearing a designer suit, a hat, and a smoking pipe instead of
baju melayu and
songkok (traditional Malay attire). Taib later had to tone his western image down to a traditional one in order to keep in touch with his people. Taib also developed an interest in Malay literature and
pantuns (Malay poetry). He was also known for being a loyal fan of
P. Ramlee, a famous Malaysian singer, actor and director.
Illness and death In 2023, Taib underwent a surgical procedure to address complications arising from
colon cancer in
Istanbul,
Turkey. In January 2024, there were allegations that his wife, Ragad, forcibly removed him from the
intensive care unit (ICU) of a private hospital in
Kuching, although these claims were denied by both his wife and the police. It was asserted by Ragad that she had coordinated Taib's discharge with the attending doctor, who deemed him fit to travel to Cardiac Vascular Sentral in
Kuala Lumpur. Despite rumours, Taib was reported to have received continued care at his residence in Kuching on 7 February 2024, before being subsequently transferred to Kuala Lumpur for further treatment. On 20 February 2024, there were social media reports suggesting a deterioration in Taib's condition, which his wife dismissed as false, saying that the accompanying photo depicted someone else. Taib died on 21 February 2024 at 4:40am. He was 87. The Sarawak government then declared a period of mourning throughout the state for two days and the state flag was flown at half-mast. After Taib's death, a series of solemn ceremonies marked the final journey of Taib's body in the
Peninsula level.
Masjid Negara hosted a prayer session and tribute ceremony in its Main Lecture Hall, with dignitaries such as the Crown Princes of Perlis, Pahang and Kelantan,
Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail,
Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah and
Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra, respectively, in attendance.
Melaka Governor Mohd Ali Rustam also paid his respects. Following the ceremony, a tribute at
RMAF Subang Air Base drew notable figures including
Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor,
Sarawak Governor Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar,
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and
Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof. From there, Taib's body was flown to Kuching, where they arrived in the evening and were taken to his residence in Demak Jaya. Upon arrival, another prayer service was held, attended by
Premier Abang Johari, his deputy
Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and other leaders. The following morning, the public was given the opportunity to pay their respects at the
Sarawak State Legislative Assembly Complex atrium.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei with his son
Prince Abdul Mateen were also present. Subsequently, a final prayer was held at Masjid Demak near Taib's residence. Taib was laid to rest in the family cemetery in Demak Jaya, beside his first wife Laila. ==Election results==