Saudi King Fahd died early Monday in a Riyadh hospital and his brother, Crown Prince Abdullah, has been appointed the country's new monarch, the Saudi royal court announced in a statement.

"With all sorrow and sadness, the royal court in the name of his highness Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz and all members of the family announces the death of the servant of the two shrines, King Fahd bin Abdel Aziz," according to a statement read out on state-run Saudi TV.

Fahd, 83, was taken to hospital in May due to acute pneumonia. Abdullah had been the de facto ruler of the kingdom since Fahd suffered a stroke in 1995.

Source: Xinhua