Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud died at age 83 in a New York hospital after a long illness with intestinal cancer, Saudi Arabia's official news agency SPA said on Saturday.
"Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Sultan bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud died on Saturday morning in the United States where he was undegoing medical treatment," the agency said, citing an announcement from the royal secretary's office.
Al-Saud had been undergoing medical treatment in New York since June of this year. He had several operations over the last few years in the United States.
Prayers from the Quran are being broadcast from a mosque in Mecca on all national television stations.
The crown prince was the fifteenth son of Saudia Arabia's King Abdul Aziz, and was also the first deputy to the Cabinet of Ministers and the kingdom's defense minister. He began his political career in 1947 when he became the governor of Riyadh, the country's capital. He was considered one of the most active supporters of the U.S.-Saudi partnership.
The title of Crown Prince has now been passed to Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, 78, who is presently the government's Vice-Deputy and the Minister of the Interior.
Saudi Arabia is the largest exporter of oil in the world and the country's constitution is based on the Quran.
