While he was initially against the idea of Sabah joining in the Federation, given British concerns about the stability of the region and their move to relinquish all their colonies in the post WWII era, he was gradually convinced to work towards it.

During his second term as Chief Minister (which began on 15 April 1976) he died in a controversial accident on 6 June 1976 dubbed Double Six Crash, in Kota Kinabalu, the state capital of Sabah.

Jules' father, Ernest Alfred Pavitt was born in Akaroa, New Zealand but had ancestral roots in Colchester, Essex, England, United Kingdom.

Fuad Stephens' mother, Edith Cope, was of mixed Japanese, British and Dusun ancestry from Kinabatangan, Sandakan.

[citation needed] In 1964, Donald Stephens stepped down as Chief Minister to become the first Malaysian federal cabinet member from Sabah.

Later that same year, Tun Fuad Stephens together with Harris Salleh formed the new political party Sabah People's United Front (BERJAYA).

[citation needed] On 6 June 1976 ("Double Six"), Tun Fuad Stephens and several cabinet members boarded a flight from Labuan heading towards Kota Kinabalu.

The site is located in the Sembulan area near the Grace Garden housing complex in Kota Kinabalu across Jalan Coastal Highway from Sutera Harbour resort.

Stephens converted to Islam on 7 January 1971, while he was a Malaysian High Commissioner to Australia, together with his wife and five children at Tun Mustapha's residence.

On 14 March 2022, his widow Toh Puan Rahimah Stephens died of a heart attack at a private hospital where she was admitted after a fall at her house at the age of 92.