SINGAPORE – Johor Crown Prince Ismail Sultan Ibrahim paid tribute early this morning (Dec 6) on social media to his brother, who died yesterday after a battle with cancer.

“Out of all the sleepless nights, tonight is the most difficult for me,” he wrote at 3.20am, on the official Facebook page of the state football club Johor Southern Tigers, which he heads.

“We all love and miss you so much. You have been the one who always puts a smile on our faces. You are our strength and inspiration. You have the one quality that none of us possess; your humble, loving heart,” the Crown Prince wrote.

”I love you with all my heart and I miss you dearly. You will never be forgotten. Your name will be carried by my bloodline. Your smile will be my strength. May Allah bless you, little brother. Love you always.”

Mr Ismail’s heartfelt post to the late Johor Prince Tunku Abdul Jalil Iskandar Ibrahim Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim has been shared more than 20,000 times as of 2pm today. Tunku Abdul Jalil, 25, died at 7.11pm yesterday at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital.

Other royals also took to social media to express their condolences. Among them, older brother Tunku Idris Sultan Ibrahim, posted on Instagram: “Love and miss you...always and forever.”

The Brunei Royal family’s Instagram page also had a picture of Tunku Abdul Jalil with the message: “May his soul rest among the pious”, reported the New Straits Times.

Prime Minister Najib Razak and other cabinet members including Defence Minister Hishamuddin Hussein, Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai and Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin have also expressed his condolences on social media.

The funeral will take place today after Zohor prayers and the body will be buried at the Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum.