National Professor Mustafa Nur-Ul Islam has died at the age of 91.
The scholar died around 9pm on Wednesday at his Bashurdhara residence, his personal nurse Md Sajedur Rahman said.
The body has been kept at the Apollo Hospital morgue. Decisions about his burial and funeral prayer will be taken after consulting his family. Three of his four children are currently abroad, Sajedur told the Bangla Tribune.
The national professor has been bed-ridden since the beginning of April. He was suffering from various ailments.
“He fell sick on Wednesday night. He was rushed to the Apollo Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead,” the nurse added.
Born on May 1, 1927, in Bogra, Mustafa Nur-Ul Islam started his professional career with journalism in 1951.
He started teaching at university from 1953-54 and went on to become the founding director general of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. He also served as the director general of the Bangla Academy and chairman of the National Museum.
He also edited a magazine ‘Sundaram’.
Mustafa Nur-Ul Islam was given the Independence Award, the highest civilian honour of the country, in 2010 for his contribution to literature and fine arts. A year later, he was appointed as the national professor.