Prince Abdul-Majid bin Abdul-Aziz, the governor of the Islam's holy city of Mecca, died Saturday after a long illness, a Saudi Arabian royal statement said. He was 65.
Abdul-Majid, who was the half brother of Saudi King Abdullah, was flown to the United States where he passed away after sudden health deterioration, the statement conveyed.
The brief statement said he had undergone a surgery earlier and had traveled back to Saudi Arabia, but was flown back to the U.S. when his condition worsened.
Abdul-Majid is the 33rd son of the kingdom's founder, the late King Abdul-Aziz, who had 36 sons.
In 1985, the late King Fahd appointed Abdul-Majid, who has one son, Faisal, as governor of the holy city Medina. Fifteen years later, he became the head of Mecca.
