Former group editor-in-chief of The Star, Datuk VK Chin, 75, passed away at 5.30am today.

A spokesman from The Star said the wake would be held from 5pm onwards today and tomorrow at the Xiao En Centre, No. 1, Jalan Kuari in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.

The funeral will be on Tuesday, June 14 at 11am.

Chin, who was more popularly known by his initials "VK" than his given name of Vui Khen, started off in journalism by working at Radio Malaya from 1959 until he joined the Straits Echo in 1963.

He then joined the Straits Times after this before becoming political secretary to the then Minister of Housing and local Government, Michael Chen (now Tan Sri), from 1972 to 1974.

He then spent two years with two Singapore publications, Singapore Herald and New Nation, before heading back to Malaysia to become the first news editor of the Business Times, a sister publication of the New Straits Times in 1976.

Chin joined The Star in 1982 and rose to become its editor-in-chief in 1986 before becoming its editorial advisor from 1993 to 2008.

During his stint at The Star, he was noted for his sharp and perceptive commentaries on various issues in the "Comment" column.

He was also appointed a member of Bernama's Board of Governors for several years from 1996 during his tenure as The Star's editorial advisor.

Chin, who was awarded the "Panglima Jasa Negara (PJN)" by the King in 1996, also received the "Excellence Award for Journalists" from the Malaysian Malay Journalists Association (PWM) in 2000 and the National Press Club's Lifetime Achievement Award last year.