"YES, Javed," I responded, to a call at 4.21 pm yesterday. It turned out that it was not Javed but his wife, calling to give me the news of the death of her husband.

Javed Akhtar, a former journalist, last year joined Adfactors, the firm which looked after public relations for the Indian Premier League.

He died at the age of 59 yesterday after a brief illness.

Javed was a distinguished basketball player in his younger days before he made a mark in journalism at Sportsweek and MiD DAY. He later shifted to the Gulf and when he returned to his beloved Mumbai last year, he joined Adfactors.

He was a workaholic and was fantastic to all journalists covering the IPL. In 2007, as a touring journalist, he was roped in by the Pakistan Cricket Board to help with their media affairs on the tour to India. Javed would have been an ideal media manager to accompany the Indian team, something that the BCCI don't do very often.

He would be available for any clarification at any part of the day. One remembers calling him to clear an IPL-related doubt close to midnight. Before I could complete apologising, Javed told me that he was very much awake on the train home. Javed was a well-built man with a towering presence. He also had a large heart.

He is survived by his wife and three sons.