King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia is dead

 Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz died today, Friday  “at 1:00 am (2200 GMT)” and would be buried later in the day following afternoon prayers, said the statement.

He has been replaced by Crown Prince Salman, the OPEC-kingpin’s royal court said in a statement.
 
The late monarch’s half brother Moqren was named crown prince, according to the statement.




King Abdullah, alleged to be 90 years old, was hospitalised in December 2014 suffering from pneumonia and helped to breathe with aid.


In recent years, his advanced age and poor health had raised concerns about the future leadership of one of the world’s key oil producers.

In March 2014, King Abdullah named his half-brother Prince Moqren as a second crown prince, in an unprecedented move aimed at smoothing succession hurdles.
Moqren, who was born in 1945, is the youngest of Abdulaziz’s sons.
Since the death in 1952 of King Abdulaziz al-Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia, the throne has systematically passed from one of his sons to another.




RIP to him.