[3][4] Born into a noble Melanau-Malay family, Taib embarked on his academic journey, earning his first degree in law from the University of Adelaide in 1960.

[5] There, he met Laila (née Lejla Chaleck), a Polish woman of Lipka Tatar descent who embraced the Muslim faith.

[7] His political works deepened in 1964 when he assumed the role of vice chairman of Barisan Rakyat Jati Sarawak (BERJASA) party.

[13] He was the eldest child of Mahmud bin Haji Abang Yahya (father) and Hajjah Hamidah binti Yakub (mother).

Taib's father was a descendant of Pehin Datu Yahya Setia Raja, where the latter was an aristocrat that was linked to the Royal Court of Brunei.

Taib later won a Shell scholarship to study at St. Joseph's Secondary School in Kuching with the help of his uncle, Abdul Rahman who was also a Probationary Native Officer in Miri.

[15]In 1958, his excellent performance in the Higher School Certificate (HSC) examination earned him a Colombo Plan scholarship,[19] allowing Taib to further his studies at the University of Adelaide in South Australia.

On 26 March 1981, Taib's uncle, Abdul Rahman, who was the chief minister of Sarawak at that time, announced his retirement from politics by vacating his state constituency of Paloh and PBB presidency.

Taib retained entire cabinet line-up of his uncle except for Celestine Ujang who would vacate his ministerial post to become speaker in the Sarawak state assembly.

Taib's administration with the help of the Malaysian federal government made Sarawak's World Heritage more accessible through the construction of the Pan Borneo Highway.

[37] In 1992, International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) also financed the establishment of Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary which now houses about 4000 orangutans.

[43] Despite being the target of an onslaught of attacks by the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition,[44] Taib led PBB to a clean sweep of seats contested in the 2011 state election, winning an eighth consecutive term as chief minister.

[53] Taib Mahmud was noted to rely on a patronage system to reward "compliant local leaders" and stifle potential opposition.

He and his relatives were "widely thought to extract a percentage from most major commercial contracts – including those for logging – awarded in the state (Sarawak)" according to a series of leaked US embassy cables published in August 2011.

[14] His cabinet minister, in an interview with Al Jazeera English, maintained that the contracts were awarded transparently either in open or closed tenders.

He said that the state government gave the contracts based on the previous good track record of the companies, not because of the alleged political connections.

[68][69] In 2019, Pakatan Harapan law minister Liew Vui Keong stated there was no new evidence for MACC to reopen its investigations against Taib.

[76] Taib's son Sulaiman Abdul Rahman was married to Anisa, who is the daughter of Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam.

[63] In 2009, Taib's four-year-old granddaughter Celestia Lulua Mahmud Abu Bekir died two days after slipping into the swimming pool at her home at Duta Nusantara Condominium in Kuala Lumpur.

[77] On 18 December 2010, at the age of 74, he married again for the second time to Ragad Waleed Alkurdi, a Syrian-born woman and widow in her early 30s; however the wedding ceremony was held in private, attended only by his family members and 200 invited guests.

[80] In 2016, the National Registration Department (NRD) was questioned for their decision to speed up Ragad Waleed Alkurdi's citizenship approval in an absurd 'record' time of just six years, while permanent residents and undocumented Sarawak natives normally would have waited for decades for the same privilege.

[81] In 2018, Ragad Kurdi Taib, along with her two children from her first marriage, were fast-tracked into fully fledged Melanaus and accorded native Bumiputera status in the state, leading to many Sarawakians' outrage.

According to photos in the July to December 2006 newsletter of Naim Cendera Holdings Bhd, Taib's living room was decorated with gilt-edged European-style sofa sets.

[97] In Taib's early days of studying in Australia, he was fond of wearing a designer suit, a hat, and a smoking pipe instead of baju melayu and songkok (traditional Malay attire).

It was asserted by Ragad that she had coordinated Taib's discharge with the attending doctor, who deemed him fit to travel to Cardiac Vascular Sentral in Kuala Lumpur.

[99] Despite rumours, Taib was reported to have received continued care at his residence in Kuching on 7 February 2024, before being subsequently transferred to Kuala Lumpur for further treatment.

[100] On 20 February 2024, there were social media reports suggesting a deterioration in Taib's condition, which his wife dismissed as false, saying that the accompanying photo depicted someone else.

Masjid Negara hosted a prayer session and tribute ceremony in its Main Lecture Hall, with dignitaries such as the Crown Princes of Perlis, Pahang and Kelantan, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah and Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra, respectively, in attendance.

Following the ceremony, a tribute at RMAF Subang Air Base drew notable figures including Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor, Sarawak Governor Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof.

Upon arrival, another prayer service was held, attended by Premier Abang Johari Openg, his deputy Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and other leaders.