Dubai: Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashed al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, vice president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and a renowned racehorse owner, died on Wednesday in Australia at the age of 62.
Australian national radio said he died of a heart attack.
Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed al-Maktoum, the architect of the state's business boom, succeeded his older brother as ruler of the emirate, one of the seven that form the UAE federation.
The succession was expected to be smooth as Sheikh Maktoum maintained a low profile during his rule, preferring to allow his younger brothers to run the day-to-day affairs of Dubai.
"The president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan announces the death this morning of his highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashed al-Maktoum," the presidential affairs ministry said in a statement carried by the state news agency WAM.
"He died from natural causes in Australia where he was on a private visit," a UAE official, who did not wish to be identified, told AFP.
Forty days of national mourning have been declared, with government offices closed for a week and private businesses for three days. The stock exchanges in Abu Dhabi and Dubai will be closed for seven days.
Shops across Dubai were seen closing down.
As flags were bought down across official buildings, lavish celebrations, including spectacular fireworks, which had been scheduled for late Wednesday to mark the start of the annual "Dubai Shopping Festival" were cancelled.
Sheikh Maktoum will be buried in Dubai early Thursday, with the funeral ceremony due to start at 10:00 am (0600 GMT), said WAM.
There was no official confirmation on who will succeed Sheikh Maktoum as vice president and prime minister of the UAE.
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