Veteran journalist Reazuddin Ahmed, a four-time former president of the National Press Club, has passed away at the age of 77.
He died while undergoing treatment for Covid-19-related complications at Dhaka's United Hospital at 1:30pm on Saturday, said the Press Club's General Secretary Ilyas Khan.
He is survived by a son, a daughter, and a host of relatives and well-wishers.
His namaz-e-janaza will be held at the Press Club premises at 11am on Sunday, reports BSS.
Ahmed was admitted to the hospital on December 16.
On December 19, he was shifted to the ICU after his oxygen level dropped.
A former president of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and former editor and publisher of News Today, Ahmed was awarded the Ekushey Padak in 1993 for his contribution to journalism.
The Editors Council, in a statement on Saturday, expressed profound sorrow and mourned the death of the eminent journalist, who was also one of the founder members of the council.
"Reazuddin Ahmed was one of those who played an essential role in the progress of media freedom after the Liberation War," read the statement.
His valuable experiences and leadership played a key role in the growth of the council, it added.
National Press Club President Farida Yasmin and General Secretary Ilyas Khan also mourned the veteran journalist's death.
"We have lost a guardian," Farida Yasmin said on a Facebook post.
Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) President Nazrul Islam Mithu and General Secretary Nurul Islam Hasib also expressed deep shock at the demise of Ahmed.
Riazuddin Ahmed started his career as a journalist in 1969 with the (now defunct) Pakistan Observer, which became the Bangladesh Observer after 1971.
He later served as editor-in-chief of the Financial Express and deputy editor of The Daily Star.
Reazuddin Ahmed was also associated with the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) and served as president of the Bangladesh chapter of the organisation.
The noted journalist was general secretary and president of Dhaka Union of Journalists and the secretary general and president of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists in the 1970s and 80s.
He was president of the National Press Club from 1995 to 1998 and from 2003 to 2006 for a total of four terms.
Ahmed was also a member of the Dhaka University Senate.