Michael Hartono Likely to Be Buried in Central Java

The funeral of Michael Bambang Hartono, owner of the Djarum Group, is planned to take place in Central Java province. Michael passed away on Thursday (19/3/2026) at 13:15 Singapore time.

Senior Manager of Public Affairs at PT Djarum Kudus, Purwono Nugroho, confirmed the sad news. “Yes, it’s true, Mr Michael Bambang Hartono passed away in Singapore. The burial location is still being discussed,” he said.

The extended family of the late figure is known to originate from Rembang Regency, although the deceased was known to spend more time in Jakarta lately. The family home in Rembang Regency still exists, although his closest relatives are scattered in various places.

Meanwhile, whether the wake will be in Rembang or elsewhere is still being discussed by the family. He added that in the internal family meeting, they are also discussing the schedule for the late figure’s wake.

In the meantime, the body of the late figure who passed away in Singapore is estimated to still be in the process of being repatriated to Indonesia. The late figure is known as one of Indonesia’s leading business figures. Together with his brother, Robert Budi Hartono, the late figure managed and developed the major cigarette company PT Djarum until it became one of the national industrial giants.

Michael Bambang Hartono was born on 2 October 1939, the son of Oei Wie Gwan, the founder of Djarum. Under his leadership, the family business continued to grow rapidly and expanded its influence in various sectors.

In addition to the business world, the late figure was also known to be active in social activities through the Djarum Foundation, which operates in the fields of environment, culture, education, and sports. His contributions in the environmental field include the trembesi tree planting programme along the Java North Coast route.

Meanwhile, in the sports field, his role is evident from the development of world-class badminton athletes to the growth of other sports branches such as women’s football, archery, and athletics from an early age. In the arts field, the Djarum Foundation also initiated student theatre festivals so that students at various levels are familiar with theatre arts.

In the education field, he also made significant contributions through the “Bakti Pendidikan” pillar, focusing on improving the quality of vocational high schools, providing scholarships (Djarum Beasiswa Plus), and enhancing teacher competencies/basic education. This includes school infrastructure improvement programmes, student soft skills training, and industrial curriculum development.