Malaysia's king, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, one of nine traditional rulers who take turns in the figurehead role, died this morning, an aide to Prime Minister Mr Mahathir Mohamad said.
Mr Mahathir has called a news conference later to announce the king's death to the nation.
But first he made his way to the hospital where the 75-year-old monarch was admitted after returning from Singapore on Sunday, where he had a heart pacemaker implanted two months ago.
The press conference is to announce that the king is dead, the aide said. Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital in a central Kuala Lumpur suburb as Mr Mahathir and several opposition leaders called to pay their last respects to the king, who was active in the movement that won Malaysia independence from Britain in 1957.