The building contractor, who helped promote friendship and unity through his “time machine”, suffered a heart attack early Thursday.

Harris kept the Facebook page going for about 10 years because each narrative bore the common touch, which he described in an FMT story in 2021 as “a precious gift for togetherness”.

His wife, Shahin Yunus, said her family was moved by the outpouring of gratitude for what her husband did to build a community tied by harmony and caring since 2013.

“He set up DML as a way to remember our past, as well as to appreciate the toils of the generations before us who built our nation,” said Shahin, who acts as an administrator of the page.

She said she will run DML together with her four children to keep Malaysians hooked on the happy days of bygone years.

Harris launched DML after an old photograph of a man selling ais kacang, a local sweet dessert, which he had posted on his personal Facebook page in 2013, struck sweetly with people longing to remember happier times.

Soon, DML set people of all races and ages on journeys back to their youth.

Today, DML’s more than 45,000 participants nationwide and overseas have formed something like a long-lost national photo album, with an abundance of historical, candid and funny recalls peppered with delightful anecdotes.

DML has also helped renew friendships among old friends, schoolmates and relatives, some of whom had not seen each other for up to 50 years.

Harris’ childhood friend Jerry Chong led tributes, describing him as “admirable, kind and charming”.

Chong said Harris often spoke about DML stories that revealed the many ways people of different races, religions and cultures lived, worked and played as one, and how they celebrated events together.

“He could walk into any room, talk to a total stranger and before you know it, they are old friends. He put everyone at ease within seconds and sparked endless laughter,” said Chong, the owner of Backyard Pub & Grill in Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.

Another pal, Johnson Fernandez, said: “He was a livewire and there was a spring to every party and gathering the moment Harris walked in.

“He was also a natural stand-up. He was funny, witty and his comebacks were always spontaneous.”

Fernandez said the regular get-togethers of the La Salle Sentul Class of ‘72 will never be the same again.

Regular contributor S Sivaraman said DML may not be the only throwback social media group in the country but it was seen as special in the way it promoted unity and friendship.

He said: “We have to thank Harris for making DML a reset button to jumpstart faltering identities and for us to relish in the moments in history that are frozen in time.

“I feel a glow of happiness and nostalgia as wonderful memories, experiences and lessons are shared daily by many in DML.”

Another member Aliyah Khan hoped people will continue to share stories and photographs of their past experience to keep Harris’ work going.

“Further, these are important social documents for many to understand society and communities from different generations,” she said.

Senior citizen Bernard Chow said: “Since DML is also a place to have fun, laugh and be happy, happy man Harris would want the happiness and feisty banter to continue.