As Dr Hasmah Ali was lowered into her final resting place, the nation caught a heartbreaking glimpse of the man who had shared seven decades of his life with her.

Seated in a wheelchair, an oxygen tube beneath his nose, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad struggled to contain his grief.

Tears streamed down the face of the 101-year-old as he confronted the painful reality of saying goodbye to the woman who had been by his side for more than 70 years.

But amid the solemnity of the funeral, three people standing beside Mahathir drew attention of their own.