Puan Noor Aishah, wife of Singapore’s first president Mr. Yusof Ishak, died at age 91.
She died peacefully at Singapore General Hospital on April 22, 2025, at 4:28 AM, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Cabinet members expressed deep sadness and sent condolences to her family.
Born on May 21, 1933, in Selangor, Puan Noor Aishah was adopted by Ms. Fatimah Ali and Mr. Mohammad Salim Jusoh, an Eurasian man who converted to Islam.
She grew up in Penang during the Japanese occupation with little formal education. She learned cooking and sewing to help support her family.
At 16, she married 39-year-old Mr. Yusof Ishak in 1949. He was then managing director and co-founder of Malay-language newspaper Utusan Melayu.
The couple moved to Singapore where Mr. Yusof became Yang di-Pertuan Negara (head of state) in 1959 and later Singapore’s first president after independence in 1965.
Puan Noor Aishah became Singapore’s first first lady at age 26.
In her 2017 book “Puan Noor Aishah: Singapore’s First Lady,” she noted that she received no guidance for her role. “I was not given any instructions or briefing at all; no guidelines on how to be first lady,” she said.
She improved her English to speak with visiting dignitaries while managing her household and official duties.
Puan Noor Aishah changed the Istana from colonial style to local elegance. She wore sarong kebaya at state events, using fabrics from Arab Street and doing her own embroidery.
She taught Istana chefs to cook local dishes like beef rendang and epok epok instead of English food. These recipes remain part of Istana cuisine today.
She worked with many charitable organizations. She served as patron for the Singapore Red Cross, Young Women’s Muslim Association (PPIS), Children’s Society, Girl Guides Association, Association for the Blind, Spastics Association, and Association for the Deaf.
She became the first Asian president of the Girl Guides movement in Singapore in 1959 and later its patron.
The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) said the community lost a strong supporter of social services organizations. MUIS highlighted her work with people with disabilities and for women’s rights.
When her husband’s health declined after a 1968 heart attack, Puan Noor Aishah took over some of his social duties, including presenting National Day Awards.
For her contributions, she received the Pingat Bakti Chemerlang (Distinguished Service Medal) in 1964 and the National Trades Union Congress Special Medal of Honour in 1971.
She was added to the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame in 2018 for strengthening the country’s social fabric and her voluntary work.
Puan Noor Aishah supported building Masjid Yusof Ishak in Woodlands, announced in 2014. She helped with fundraising and donated plants from her nursery for landscaping.
She remained active at mosque events since its 2017 opening.
Former president Halimah Yacob remembered her as kind and interested in Yusof Ishak Secondary School in Bukit Batok East.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam noted that Puan Noor Aishah lived to see Singapore’s transformation and “could take pride in her quiet role in our foundational years of self-government and independence.”
The government assisted with funeral arrangements. As a mark of respect, she was carried on the Ceremonial Gun Carriage from Masjid Ba’alwie to Kranji State Cemetery, where she was buried next to her husband.
