UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan dies at 73

Sheikh Khalifa was chosen in 2004 to succeed his long-serving father Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan

The United Arab Emirate's Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced the death of the country's president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday.

In a statement, the ministry mourned for "the people of the UAE, the Arab and Islamic nation, and the whole world, the leader of the nation His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan," according to the official news agency (WAM).

Born in 1948, Sheikh Khalifa was chosen in 2004 to succeed his long-serving father Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan who ascended the throne in 1971.