Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej dies aged 88

The Bureau of the Royal Household announced the king died at 3:52 p.m. at the Siriraj Hospital.

Local media reported that a special session of parliament had been convened for 9 p.m. local time the same day.

The king had spent long periods in hospital due to a range of illnesses, and the bureau said on Sunday his condition was "not stable" following treatment the previous day for kidney failure.

He underwent heart surgery in early June, just weeks after he was treated for fluid on the brain in May.

King Bhumibol had spent 70 years as monarch, having ascended the throne in 1946.

He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States on Dec. 5, 1927, while his father was undertaking medical studies at Harvard University.

He spent much of his childhood and early adulthood in Switzerland, where he graduated from Lausanne University with a degree in law and political science.

He ascended the throne at the age of 18, after his elder brother, King Ananda Mahidol, died in Bangkok from a gunshot wound in mysterious circumstances. King Bhumibol continued his studies while his uncle Rangsit led the country as Prince Regent.

The king went on to marry Queen Sirikit on April 28, 1950, a week before his coronation. The couple had four children -- Princess Ubol Ratana, Crown Prince Maha Vaijralongkorn, Princess Maha Chakri Siringhorn and Princess Chulabhorn.

Besides his royal duties, the king was known for his love of jazz, sailing and painting.

Although he had little real power under the Constitution, King Bhumibol did involve himself with politics, effectively diffusing political tension at times. During bloody protests against the military government in 1992, his simple call to end the crisis was enough to help defuse the tension and end the killings which had taken place.

Source: Kyodo