A hawker died in Malaysia on Wednesday after he fainted and fell face first into a wok of boiling oil. The tragic incident took place at a foodcourt in Kuala Kangsar town, 25km north-west of Perak’s capital of Ipoh.

Malaysia’s Chinese newspaper Sin Chew Daily identified the man as Mr Liu Youcai, who was well known for his reasonably priced chicken chop rice as well as his daily attire of a vest and wooden clogs.

Mr Liu suffered severe burns on his face, chest and back. The 58-year-old was alive when rushed to a nearby hospital but died 90 minutes later.

His older brother, Mr Liu Youming, said the younger man had had high blood pressure for years.

He had advised his brother to rest more and take care of his health, but the hawker would not do so as he was a workaholic, Sin Chew Daily reported.

“He worked six days a week, and even on Mondays when his stall was closed, he would come back to prepare the ingredients for his dishes,” said a food operator at the foodcourt.

Other hawkers who had worked alongside Mr Liu paid tribute to him, saying that his RM10 (S$2.90) chicken chop rice had attracted patrons far and wide.

He was also known to be a cheerful person and an animal lover who took in 10 stray dogs at his home and spends an average of RM200 a month on their food.

On top of that, he would cook a large pot of rice with sweet potatoes every day to feed the strays near the foodcourt.