(August 1, 1924 – January 23, 2015)
Abdullah was born on 1 August 1924. He is the tenth son of King Abdulaziz. His mother, Fahda bint Asi Al Shuraim, was a member of Al Rashid, longtime rivals of the Al Saud. She was descended from the powerful Shammar tribe and was the daughter of former Shammar tribe chief Asi Shuraim. She died when Abdullah was six. He had younger full-sisters.
Madawi Al-Rasheed argues that his maternal roots and his experience of an early speech impediment led to delay in his rise to higher status among the other sons of King Abdulaziz.
Abdullah succeeded to the throne upon the death of his half-brother King Fahd. He was formally enthroned on 3 August 2005.
The King had curtailed his activities from June 2010 with no clear explanation. Diplomats said there had been uncertainty about the extent of his health problems since Abdullah canceled a visit to France. In a television appearance in which he was seen to use a cane, King Abdullah said he was in good health but had something “bothering” him. In a visit by US diplomats to Saudi Arabia in April 2014 the Saudi King was seen connected to breathing tubes during talks, indicating increasing health problems.
From 2010 to 2012 King Abdullah had four back surgeries. The first two of the surgeries were in New York, one in 2010 for a slipped disk and a blood clot pressing on nerves in his back and a second to stabilize vertebrae in 2011. The third one was in Riyadh in 2011. And the last one was also in Riyadh on 17 November 2012.
In November 2010, his back problems came to light in the media. He had an “accumulation of blood” around the spinal cord. He suffered from a herniated disc and was told to rest by doctors. To maintain the Kingdom’s stability, Crown Prince Sultan returned from Morocco during the King’s absence. The King was admitted to New York-Presbyterian Hospital after a blood clot complicated a slipped disc and underwent successful back surgery. The lead surgeon was Muhammad Zaka, who probably removed the herniated disk and performed a lumbar fusion. He subsequently had another successful surgery in which surgeons “stabilized a number of vertebras”. He left the hospital on 22 December 2010 and convalesced at The Plaza in New York City. On 22 January 2011, he left the United States and went to Morocco. He returned to the Kingdom on 23 February 2011.
King Abdullah left Saudi Arabia on “special leave” on 27 August 2012. Al-Quds reported that he had an operation at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York on or before 4 September 2012, following a heart attack. However, there was no official report on this alleged operation. Instead, it was officially announced that the King went on a private trip to Morocco, where he is known to go frequently. The King returned to Saudi Arabia from Morocco on 24 September. Nearly two months later, in November 2012, King Abdullah underwent another back surgery in Riyadh and left hospital on 13 December 2012. A report in April 2014 stated the King had around six months left to live, citing his diagnosis of terminal lung cancer. On 2 January 2015, Abdullah was hospitalized for pneumonia and died on 23 January.
