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Popular football personality Serbegeth "Shebby" Singh, a former Malaysia international, died on Wednesday while cycling in Sunway Iskandar in Johor Baru.
The 61-year-old, who was known for his colourful and passionate commentary on television, suffered a heart attack, reported News Straits Times.
"Sad day for Malaysia football. He was a great player and a friend," said Football Association of Malaysia president Datuk Hamidin Amin.
The former defender had an illustrious career for club and country, starring for his home state of Johor in 1978, before he moved to Kuala Lumpur where he won the M-League twice and Malaysia Cup three times from 1984 to 1990.
He made his international debut in 1982 and helped Malaysia win gold at the South-east Asian Games in 1989.
He went on to earn 61 caps and played his last match for Malaysia in a friendly at Stadium Merdeka in 1991.
Shebby also played for Pahang, Negeri Sembilan and Perak before he hung up his boots in 1996.
In 2006, Shebby became the coach of reality TV football team MyTeam. He also served as Melaka's technical adviser in 2007.
Outspoken and insightful, he went on to become a popular TV pundit in Asia before moving to the English Premier League as Blackburn Rovers' global adviser in 2012. His last stint with football saw him serving as technical adviser to Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) from 2014-2015.
Singapore football legend Fandi Ahmad, who was Shebby's teammate at KL and Pahang, told The Straits Times that he was "very sad to hear of the shocking news".
Fandi, 59, said: "Shebby was a good friend. He was very friendly and jovial and very good at motivating others. He was a good player and a good talker who gave clear instructions on the field."
His gift of the gab led him to become a prominent football pundit on TV, working with Astro SuperSport, Fox Sports and ESPN Asia for 24 years.
Former S-League footballer Rhysh Roshan Rai, who became a football presenter and worked with Shebby at Fox Sports, said: "Shebby cared very deeply about football and his punditry work. He was not afraid to share his opinion and stand his ground.
"He was a lot of fun to be with not just on TV, but also a good guy to talk to off-screen as well. I really enjoyed working with him and appreciated the advice he gave.
"He was also very passionate about his two children in the loving way he spoke about them. We sometimes see these people as celebrities and forget they are people first and foremost, and Shebby was a great person."
Shebby leaves behind two children, Natassha Kaur and Sonuljit Singh.
