Saudi King, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, dies at 90

Saudi Arabian King, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, has died 10 years after his coronation, the country’s officials have announced.

The 90-year-old died few weeks after he was admitted at the hospital for Pneumonia and lung infection.

Funeral services will be held Friday afternoon at the Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Grand Mosque in Riyadh, where many world leaders are likely to pay their respects, CNN reports.

United States President Barack Obama expressed his personal sympathies and those of the American people on King Abdullah’s death.

“As a leader, he was always candid and had the courage of his convictions,” he said in a statement.

“One of those convictions was his steadfast and passionate belief in the importance of the US-Saudi relationship as a force for stability and security in the Middle East and beyond.

“US-Saudi relationship as a force for stability and security in the Middle East and beyond,  the closeness and strength of the partnership between our two countries is part of King Abdullah’s legacy.”

US Vice President Joe Biden announced via Twitter that he would be leading a US delegation to the final rites of the late King.

“VP Biden will lead a presidential delegation to Saudi Arabia to pay respect and offer condolences to King Abdullah’s family and nation,” he tweeted.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron said Abdullah would be remembered for his “commitment to peace and for strengthening understanding between faiths”.

Jordan’s King Abdullah has also been reported to have cut short his visit to Davos, and is heading to Riyadh to pay his last respect.

A statement early on Friday said King Abdulaziz’s 79-year-old half brother, Salman, had become king in his stead.

King Abdulaziz came to the throne in 2005, though he had been running the country since 1996, after his half-brother, King Fahd suffered a stroke.

The late king was seen as a great reformer who made cautious reforms, including giving women a greater public role, against opposition from religious conservatives.

According to Forbes in 2013, the late king was among the world’s most powerful people, ranked number 8 in the world.