Former Timor-Leste president Francisco “Lu-Olo” Guterres died at age 71 in a Malaysian hospital on the weekend of June 20-21, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. He passed away at Prince Court Hospital in Kuala Lumpur after intensive medical treatment [4].
Guterres served as president of Timor-Leste from 2017 to 2022, winning the 2017 election with more than 57% of the vote [1, 2, 5]. Before his presidency, he was the first president of Timor-Leste's National Parliament from 2002 to 2007 [3, 4]. Known as Lú-Olo during the independence resistance, Guterres was a former guerrilla leader who played a key role in Timor-Leste’s struggle against Indonesian occupation, which ended in 2002 [1, 2, 5].
Timor-Leste’s government declared a week of mourning starting June 22, ordering flags flown at half-mast [1, 2, 5]. Guterres’s body was expected to arrive in the capital Dili on June 23, with funeral arrangements ongoing [1, 2, 5]. His family requested privacy during the period of mourning, asking the public to respect their wishes while honoring his legacy [1, 2, 5].
President Jose Ramos-Horta, who defeated Guterres in the 2022 presidential run-off, described him as “a great patriot; a great loss for the nation” [1]. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim publicly expressed sadness over Guterres's death on June 22. He extended condolences to Guterres’s family and the people of Timor-Leste, saying, “Malaysia mourns his passing alongside the Timorese people. He will be remembered here with respect and affection” [3].
Separately, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also mourned the death on June 21 of Professor Emeritus Datuk Abu Bakar Abd Hamid, a prominent Malaysian academic and former deputy vice-chancellor of Universiti Malaya. Abu Bakar died suddenly at his Petaling Jaya residence and was laid to rest at Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery on June 23 [6, 7]. Anwar called Abu Bakar “someone who was passionate about knowledge and always inspired everyone” and prayed for his soul’s peace [7].
Francisco Guterres’s body is expected to arrive in Dili on June 23, where official funeral arrangements will proceed amid the national week of mourning [1, 2, 5].
