Husband of M'sian principal, 44, who died in school office said wife complained of heart palpitations

A 44-year-old principal of a school in the state of Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia was pronounced dead a little over an hour after being found unconscious in her office during a school fair on Aug. 17.

She leaves behind a devastated family of three, including her husband, who learned of her passing while rushing to the school after receiving news that his wife had fainted.

Felt unwell during fair

According to Sin Chew Daily, the 44-year-old female school principal, surname He (transliteration), was participating in the school's fair prior to her passing.

At 8am, He informed her vice-principal that she felt unwell, suspecting that she might have had too much to eat.

She took the suggestion of those around her and retreated to her office.

At around 9am, school teachers decided to check on He.

They knocked on the principal office's door, but did not receive a response.

The teachers then decided to enter the office regardless, only to find He slumped in her chair, motionless and unconscious.

An ambulance was called and paramedics arrived later at 9:25am.

Paramedics attempted CPR on-site for 15 minutes.

They rushed her to the hospital after failing to detect a pulse despite the CPR attempts.

At 10:10am, after close to an hour of resuscitation efforts at the hospital, the woman was pronounced dead.

Local police later confirmed that she had died from heart disease, Sin Chew Daily reported.

Heart palpitations a week before

Speaking to Sin Chew Daily, He's husband, surname Fan (transliteration), 46, shared that he was devastated to learn of his wife's passing.

Recounting what happened on that day, Fan shared that he received two phone calls from the school's teachers.

The first was about his wife being found unconscious in the principal's office, after which he rushed to the school.

The second was about his wife being pronounced dead, which he received mid-journey.

"I barely held back my tears," Fan said.

Fan said he did not expect his wife to pass so suddenly.

Fan told Sin Chew Daily that while his wife had generally been well, her colleagues told him that she complained of heart palpitations just a week before her passing.

Hard to accept

The suddenness of He's passing has made it difficult for Fan and their two kids to accept.

She leaves behind her husband, a 17-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son.

Top image via Sin Chew Daily