Saudi Arabia's Prince Saud al Faisal, who was the world's longest-serving foreign minister with 40 years in the post, died Thursday, the ministry spokesman said. He was 75.
His death was announced by the government-owned media. No cause was given, but the prince had undergone multiple surgeries in recent years for his back and other ailments. He cited health reasons when he retired in April.
The tall, stately prince — one of the sons of the late King Faisal — was a fixture of Mideast diplomacy, representing the oil-rich Gulf powerhouse as it wielded its influence in crisis after crisis shaking the region, including Lebanon's civil war in the 1970s and 1980s, the 1990 Iraqi invasion of neighboring Kuwait and the subsequent Gulf War.