Thailand's king, the world's longest reigning monarch, dies at 88
King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand died at 88 on Thursday, bringing a close to the reign of the world's longest serving monarch. The announcement from the palace followed a week of prayers and vigils for the ailing king, whose health had been in "unstable condition" due to problems with his kidneys and liver.
Many Thais had been bracing for the death, wearing pink and yellow — the colors of the monarchy — outside the Bangkok hospital where the king was being treated. "When I was young I saw the picture and the sculpture [of Bhumibol] in my home," 20-year-old student Damrongsak Sattabut recalled to Time. "I asked my parents, 'Who is this?' and they said, 'He's the king, and he is a great man … If I had one wish, I want the king to recover soonest."
Bhumibol had been on the throne since 1946. He is replaced by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom as the world's longest reigning monarch; she ascended in 1952.
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