January 23, 2015 – King of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz is dead. He died at 1:am Friday morning. He was 92.
Born in 1923, King Abdullah has ruled Saudi Arabia since 2006.
“His Highness Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and all members of the family and the nation mourn the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who passed away at exactly 1 a.m. this morning, ” the Royal Court said in a statement.
Salman bin Abdulaziz brother to the late King has been appointed as king of the oil rich country. He has since named his youngest half-brother Muqrin bin Abdulaziz as Crown Prince.
King Abdullah will be buried Friday in an unmarked grave in the city.
While world leaders have continued to commiserate with the royal family, some say the new kin will do well and continue with the reforms of the former king.
“I think (Salman) will continue with Abdullah’s reforms. He realizes the importance of this. He’s not conservative in person, but he values the opinion of the conservative constituency of the country,” Head of a Saudi news channel, James Khashoggi said.
