After two days of rumors about the health of Thailand’s king, confirmation finally arrived in the form of a solemn statement issued by the royal palace Thursday evening.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a unifying figure through seven politically tumultuous decades, died peacefully in the capital of Bangkok at the age of 88. According to the palace, the world’s longest-reigning monarch died at 3:52 p.m. after years of declining health.
King Bhumibol was venerated as a sentinel of stability in a country that has seen some 20 coups – including 12 successful ones – in the past century.
The nation of 67 million people was plunged into mourning following the king’s death. Hundreds of people were gathered outside the hospital along the scenic Chao Phraya river as the government announcement was made.
Earlier, social media users in the kingdom changed their profile pictures to a template image that had the messages “Love the king”, “Long live the king” and their names inscribed on it. The image featured a yellow heart on a pink background. Now many of them changed their Profile picture just to a black picture to express their grief.
Somchai's Thailand Weblog 