1981, he became the first recipient of the Sasterawan Negara award. In 1989, he was also conferred an honorary doctorate in literature by Universiti Sains Malaysia (The Science University of Malaysia). Death Keris Mas died on 9 March 1992 from a heart attack at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital, at 3am. At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife, Roswita Ali and two children, Hayati and Amir, and seven grandchildren. He was buried at the Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur. Legacy Several places and honours were named after him, including: Kolej Keris Mas, a residential college at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor Taman Keris Mas, Sungai Udang, Melaka References External links National Library of Malaysia's biography on Keris Mas Kakiseni Perpustakaan Negara Angkatan Sasterawan '50 Malaysian writers 1922 births Malaysian people of Malay descent 1992 deaths Malaysian National Laureates