The world's longest reigning monarch is dead. The king of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej, died at age 88 on Thursday, according to the bureau of the royal household. The king had been in poor health for a long time, primarily spending his last years in a Bangkok hospital.
Worries about the king's condition heightened after a Sunday night health bulletin was issued by the palace, stating that his medical team had performed kidney dialysis and replaced a tube used to drain fluid from his lung when his blood pressure dropped, and placed the monarch on a ventilator. Even after the procedures, his condition was "not stable," the palace said.
Hundreds of Thais dressed in pink prayed for the king's recovery Wednesday and Thursday outside Siriraj hospital in Bangkok.
The death of the highly revered monarch is a stunning blow for the kingdom of 67 million people, most of whom have known no other sovereign.
King Bhumibol, also known as Rama IX, came to the throne as an 18-year-old in 1946 after the mysterious shooting death of his 20-year-old brother, King Ananda Mahidol.
Thailand's prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, announced that the heir to the throne has been designated for many years, and the cabinet will inform parliament of the decision.
Government officials in the country will observe one year of mourning starting Friday. Parliament was expected to convene Thursday at 9pm.
The 70th anniversary of his accession was celebrated in Thailand on June 9 with millions of his subjects donning yellow shirts for the day.
Thais pray while holding up portraits of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej at Siriraj Hospital where the king is being treated in Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 12, 2016.
Revered in Thailand
Bhumibol Adulyadej was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States, a grandson of one of the Kingdom of Siam's most revered monarchs, Chulalongkorn, or Rama V.
Throughout the last half of the 20th century, Rama IX became the most familiar king Thailand had ever known with the advent of mass media portraying him as a wise and compassionate head of state, working effortlessly to improve the lives of his mostly rural subjects.
The king was revered as a semi-deity in the deeply Buddhist country. His rule provided a bedrock of stability in a country faced with many social and economic challenges, including a fragile democratic system. The kingdom now is governed by a military junta, which took power in a bloodless coup on May 22, 2014, ousting a weak civilian government beset by sometimes violent street protests.
During his reign there were frequent military coups. Bhumibol acted as the ultimate arbitrator over feuding generals, defusing dangerous situations and sometimes consenting to the army's request for the overthrow of elected governments.
The death of the monarch, who was always the critical political institution in the kingdom, creates "a shift in the Thai political landscape," says associate professor Pavin Chachavalpongpun of Kyoto University's Center for Southeast Asian Studies. "Whether it's smooth or violent remains to be seen. From now on we might see a more prominent role of the military."
Thailand's Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn addresses the audience at the royal plowing ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand, May 9, 2016.
Heir apparent
His son, the 63-year-old crown prince, is heir apparent. The prince also inherits properties said to be worth in excess of $35 billion.
Prince Vajiralongkorn, however, has never achieved the esteem enjoyed by the king and Queen Sirikit, who has been in poor health for years. The prince remains a rather remote figure, especially compared with his popular younger sister, Princess Sirindhorn, known for being humble and active with charitable work.
Some Thais have quietly spoken of having the princess succeed her father. But she has not been designated a possible heir and most Thai political analysts say the powerful military backs the crown prince.
The succession can not be openly discussed in Thailand. The kingdom has harsh lese majeste laws, and any perceived criticism of the monarchy or its top royals can result in quick arrest and long prison terms.
Thailand is now expected to enter into a long period of official mourning. Analysts say that will put on hold any quick return to civilian government, indefinitely extending the military's rule.
In Photos: The Reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej
In Photos: The Reign of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej
1/22FILE - Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej leaves the Siriraj Hospital for a ceremony at the Grand Palace in Bangkok.
2/22Well-wishers hug as they weep outside Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Siriraj hospital where he was residing in Bangkok, Thailand.
3/22A woman weeps after an announcement that Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej has died, at the Siriraj hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 13, 2016.
4/22People weep after an announcement that Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej has died, at the Siriraj hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 13, 2016.
5/22Well-wishers pray for King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Siriraj hospital in Bangkok, where he is hospitalized, Oct. 12, 2016.
6/22King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit leave Siriraj hospital in Bangkok, Aug. 1, 2013.
7/22In this photo released by Thailand's Royal Household Bureau, Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, second from left, along with Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, third from left, Princess Chulabhorn, Princess Sirindhorn, and Consort Princess Srirasm, right, arrive at Klai Kangwon Palace before a ceremony in celebration of the king's 86th birthday in Prachuap Khiri Khan province Thailand, Dec. 5, 2013.
8/22This undated handout photo received 26 Dec. 2002 shows Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej and his dogs at the Royal Palace in Bangkok. The tale of a stray dog born that won the heart of the country's much-loved king has recently become the nation's latest publishing sensation.
9/22A portrait of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej (L) adorns a stage as fireworks explode over Bangkok, Dec. 5, 1999, in celebration of the king's 72nd birthday.
10/22King Bhumibol Adulyadej (R) harvests rice at a project sponsored by the royal family in Prachinburi province about 100 kms east of Bangkok, Nov. 18, 1998. The 71-year-old king told local farmers that self-reliance would help them weather the country's most severe economic crisis in decades.
11/22King Bhumibol Adulyadej grants an occasion to newly appointed Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai at the Royal Palace in Bangkok, Nov. 14, 1997.
12/22King Bhumibol convenes the first meeting of his country's National Reform Assembly in a ceremony held recently in Bangkok, Nov. 30, 1976.
13/22King Bhumibol Adulyadej (C) sits on the Royal Barge during the Royal Barge Procession on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Nov. 4, 1999.
14/22King Bhumibol lights the flame for the 13th Asian Games, Dec. 3, 1998, during a ceremony at Chitrlada Palace, the King's residence, during a ceremony three days prior to the start of the games.
15/22Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej receives a small rose plant from a woman as he makes a visit to one of his crop substitution projects in Northern Thailand, Feb. 16, 1981.
16/22King Bhumibol Adulydej and Queen Sirikit (left) talked to 100 demonstrators in Bangkok, Oct. 15, 1973, during demonstration which resulted in fall of Thanom Kittikachorn government.
17/22The Thi royal family walks through the garden of their residence at Sunninghill, Berkshire, United Kingdom where they are staying during their private visit to Britain, July 27, 1966.
18/22King Bhumibol Adulyadej is carried on the shoulders of Royal guards during a parade in Bangkok Dec. 7, 1963. The parade climaxed one week-long celebration of the King's 36th birthday.
19/22King Bhumibol Adulyadej clad in sports shirt and slacks, swings into a hot chorus on the alto sax with his 13-piece jazz band, Nov. 13, 1962.
20/22Princess Ubol Ratana (diamond lotus) with her parents, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 24, and Queen Sirikit, 19, May 2, 1951. The Princess was born at Lausanne, Switzerland on April 6, eleven months after the marriage and coronation of her parents in Bangkok.
21/22King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, Rama IX, is carried by a cortege during the Coronation ceremony, May 5, 1950.
22/22Thailand's Prince Bhumibol, left, now King Bhumibol Adulyadej, known as Rama IX, with his brother Prince Ananda, the former King Ananada Mahidol, in the grounds of the school in Lausanne Switzerland, on March 7, 1935.
