Opposition politician Kenneth Jeyaretnam dies aged 67, had suffered from deep vein thrombosis

Kenneth Jeyaretnam passes away peacefully on 18 July surrounded by family

Opposition politician Kenneth Jeyaretnam has died at the age of 67, his wife Amanda said in a Facebook post the following day.

The Reform Party (RP) secretary-general had been afflicted by health issues in recent years, including deep vein thrombosis.

Kenneth Jeyaretnam leaves behind wife and son

In the post, Mrs Jeyaretnam said her husband passed away peacefully in his sleep on 18 July, surrounded by family.

Besides his wife, he also leaves behind his son, Jared.

His family is finalising details for a small funeral service, but will arrange a memorial later to celebrate his life, she noted, adding:

He was my beloved husband and a loving and devoted father to his son, Jared. He filled our lives with joy and wonder and we miss him so much.

Kenneth Jeyaretnam suffered from ailments including deep vein thrombosis

In a Facebook post on 6 July 2024, Mr Jeyaretnam said he was “seriously ill” in the United Kingdom (UK), suffering from ailments including deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary embolism, and had recently recovered from pneumonia.

Deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot in a vein, while bilateral pulmonary embolism is a blood clot blocking blood flow to the lungs.

Due to these conditions, he was unable to fly long haul, he noted.

On 23 April 2025, Mr Jeyaretnam said he was unable to contest the upcoming 2025 General Election despite filing all his papers on time.

This was on the advice of doctors due to his health issues, he added.

But he denied that he was retiring, saying that he hoped to stand for election again “sooner rather than later”.

Kenneth Jeyaretnam also diagnosed with autoimmune disease

Speaking to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), Mrs Jeyaretnam said her husband had travelled to the UK on holiday but fell ill during the trip.

This rendered him unable to return to Singapore.

While being treated for deep vein thrombosis, he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, she revealed.

He also developed sepsis in the last weeks of his life.

As she had not yet received a medical certificate, she could not share the exact cause of his death.

Kenneth Jeyaretnam was son of JBJ, stood in four elections

Mr Jeyaretnam was the son of late former Workers’ Party MP J.B. Jeyaretnam (JBJ), who was the first opposition MP elected into Parliament after Singapore’s independence.

JBJ held the Anson seat from 1981 to 1986, and was also a Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) from 1997 to 2001.

JBJ set up RP in 2008, but died later that year, leaving his son to take over the helm.

Under RP, Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam stood in three general elections in 2011, 2015 and 2020. He also contested a by-election in 2013, but failed to secure a seat in all four of his contests.

His younger brother, Justice Philip Jeyaretnam, is a Senior Counsel, Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court and High Court judge.

Also read: Reform Party appeals for donations to maintain its bank account, receives uncharitable comments from netizens

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Featured image adapted from Kenneth Jeyaretnam on Facebook and Facebook.