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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Shadow Ticket: Thomas Pynchon’s first novel in over a decade
The Week Recommends Zany whodunnit about a private eye in 1930s Milwaukee could be the 88-year-old author’s ‘last hurrah’
-
Sora 2 and the fear of an AI video future
In the Spotlight Cutting-edge video-creation app shares ‘hyperrealistic’ AI content for free
-
Will Starmer’s India visit herald blossoming new relations?
Today's Big Question Despite a few ‘awkward undertones’, the prime minister’s trip shows signs of solidifying trade relations
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91
Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle