Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the veteran ruler of the gulf nation Oman, has died aged 79, state media has reported.
Born in 1940, Said ascended to power in 1970 after overthrowing his own father in a coup.
A December 2019 report by the Washington Institute for Near-East Policy described him as suffering from “diabetes and a history of colon cancer”.
For the better part of 2015, Sultan Said spent his time in Germany for treatment although the country did not give further details about his ailment.
Said is credited for modernizing the economy of Oman, a one time impoverished Middle East nation and now one of the biggest oil exporter.
His death could cause political uncertainty given that he did not have any sibling or children who can inherit the kingdom, Al-Jazeera TV said.
"There are many different stories about Omani succession, and no one really knows who will be the next sultan," said Theodore Karasik, a Dubai-based geopolitical analyst.
"As with Saudi Arabia, the adage of 'those who know don't speak, and those who don't know speak' applies to Oman. So it is safer to allow the Omani defence council to pay attention to the instructions for succession and not base assessments about successors on rumours."