Videos and photos on social media showed the tree uprooted and toppled across the Jalan Sultan Ismail road in heavy traffic, about a kilometre (0.62 mile) from the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.
The body of a 47-year-old man was removed from the scene, police and the fire department said, and 17 cars were impacted by the incident.
A Malaysian ride-share driver, 26, and a 72-year-old Swedish woman believed to be his customer, were injured and taken to hospital for treatment, a police official told reporters.
Some of the tree's branches fell across an elevated monorail track running parallel to the road, the photos showed.
Monorail services were delayed as a result, the train's operator said in a notice.
